More Than A Cold
by Scarlett-Whitecross20
Summary: Everyone hates ailments... and everyone hates seeing their loved ones with ailments. So when one pup recives said ailment, another pup seems to be more affected by it than the others.
1. Sniffles And Sneezes

PAW Patrol: More Than A Cold

Chapter one: Sniffles and Sneezes

Chase barked out his winch and ran it over to Ryder.

"Good job, Chase." The boy told him. "Ok, Zuma, take the winch and hook it on the boat so we can bring Mayor Goodway, Chickaletta, Katie and Cali to safety."

"You got it! Let's dive in!" Zuma barked. He took the winch hook and dove into the Bay, doggy paddling out to the little life boat slowly sinking into the water.

"Hurry!! PAW Patrol!!" The mayor shrieked. The boat wiggling back and forth as water squirted from the hole in the floor.

"Yes, please hurry!" Katie cried, holding a panicked Cali tightly. Zuma finally reached them and tossed the hook on the boat's tether hook.

"Wready, Wryder!" Zuma called.

"Great! Chase, now!" Ryder said, pointing at the German Shepard.

"On it, Ruff! Winch, retract." Chase barked. Chase's truck retracted it's winch and the boat was finally pulled to safe, dry land. Ryder helped the Mayor and Katie out of the boat.

"Oh thank you PAW Patrol! You saved the day, again." Mayor Goodway jeered happily, stroking Chickaletta's head calmly.

"Thanks so much Ryder." Katie agreed, hugging Cali with relief; the cat meowing with content of being safe again.

"No problem. Whenever you're in trouble, just yelp for help!" Ryder told them confidently. "Let's go home pups." He went on turning to his pups. Chase and Zuma said _'bye'_ to the Mayor and Katie and bounded for their trucks.

Later they arrived at the Lookout, Marshall, Rubble, Rocky and Skye raced to meet them.

"How was the mission?" Skye asked, as they came to a stop in front of their friends.

"Great!" Ryder reported. "And everyone's ok."

"Wah-hoo! Yay!!" The Cockapoo excitedly backflipped. The wind picked up a little bit, and blew in Chase's face.

"Uh...Ryder, I think there's another storm is coming." He said, glancing at the boy, a hint of concern in his tone.

"Why's that, Chase?" Ryder wondered, searching the German Shepard's face.

"I can smell it." Chase shrugged simply. "And those clouds look a little angry." He added, pointing a paw at the clouds behind Ryder. Ryder turned to look back and then at Chase.

"I think you're right, good eyes." Ryder smiled, giving his a thumbs up.

"And nose." Chase grinned, chuckling; the other pups joining in.

"Well, let's get things picked up around here, so they don't get blown away by the storm." Ryder decided.

"You got it!" The pups responded scattering across the yard. After gathering all the toys, the pups were grabbing their blankets and pillows. Ryder wanted them to spend the night in the Lookout tonight. Chase had already taken his things inside, and was coming back out to check on the other pups. Rocky dropped his blanket on the pillow he was gonna taken, when a gust of wind blew it off across the yard.

"Oh no! My blanket!" Rocky cried. Chase stopped, just in time to see it flying away down the hill.

"I'll get it!" He called, racing after it. As Chase bounded toward it, he hopped at it hoping to land on it and stop it from blowing away, but missed. He tried again, and missed, he missed again and again and again. Until finally he caught the green blanket under his golden paws, it flipped wildly in the wind.

"Yes!" He cheered silently at his success. But his pleasure was short lived as a rumble over his shoulder reminded him of something. "Uh oh." Chase quickly took up the blanket in his mouth, and ran as fast as he could towards the Lookout. Chase made it in just as the ran began to pour, and he only got a little bit wet.

"Here's your blanket, Rocky." Chase said, after setting it on the ground in front of the mixed breed.

"Thanks Chase! And it's not super wet." Rocky smiled.

"And neither are you." Rubble observed.

"Good thing too. I bet that rain is pretty cold." Marshall remarked, glancing outside at the raging storm. He looked back over his shoulder at his friends.

"So what do you wanna do now?" Zuma asked the group.

"I know! Let's play Pup Pup Boogie." Chase suggested. And everyone agreed excitedly.

Chase and Zuma were dancing it out against one another. Both pups fully determined to go the longest, unwilling to give up.

"Getting tiwred, Dude?" Zuma joked, still keeping pace with the blue police pup.

"No way!" Chase shook his head, holding the same beat. "You?"

"Nope!" Zuma giggled. They'd been going for awhile, but both pups wiped out on the tail spin part; colliding with one another. And all they could do was laugh.

"Ryder says... look up." Skye instructed. All the pups looked up. "Ryder says... stop." The pups looked back down at her. "Ryder says... touch your nose." Each pups touched their nose. "Stop." The only pup to follow this order was the silly fire pup in red. "Marshall..." Skye giggled. "Ryder didn't say."

"Oops! Sorry." Marshall touched his nose again and smiled humorously. The pups laughed and Skye continued.

Chase snuck around the elevator Skye, Zuma, and Rocky were standing there talking amongst themselves. Marshall poked his head around the other side of the elevator along with Rubble. Ryder was sitting on a bean-bag on the far side of the room, next to the tv screen; playing a video game on his pup-pad. Chase peeked over at Marshall and they exchanged nods, then they reached back behind them for something.

The Pink, Orange And green PAW Patrol pups were suddenly ambushed by several soft, cushy pillows making them scatter.

"Pillow fight!" Chase called, tossing another pillow. The pillow hit Rocky, and he shield his face from it giggling just the same.

"Cool!" Zuma breathed, grabbing a pillow, he launched it back, hitting Chase directly in the face; knocking him backwards. When Chase got up again, one of the feathers from the pillows lay across his nose and he sneezed because of it. But then continued to play, eventually he, Marshall, and Rubble threw enough pillows to totally bury Rocky. When they didn't see him moving, they approached the pile of pillows. And once they all got really close...

"Boo!" Rocky jumped out of the pile, scattering the pillows all over the floor. The pups plopped down onto of them all laughing and rolling together; Ryder laughing with them, just at the sight of his silly pups.

Ryder gave each of them their food and turned on the tv. Because they'd been such good pups, he was letting them eat their dinner while they watched a little Apollo: Superpup. After they'd been watching for a couple of hours; having been snuggled down in their blankets and pillows, they fell asleep after awhile. So Ryder shut off the tv and went to bed himself.

The sun shone brightly the next morning, as they awoke from their dreams.

"Wow, is it morning already?" Marshall asked, with a big yawn.

"Guess so." Chase remarked, looking around at the sunlight outside. The German Shepard stood up and stretched yawning one last time before fully standing up and walked over to look out the window. "Woah." He gasped.

"What is it Chase?" Marshall asked coming to his side. "Woah." He repeated when seeing what Chase saw. Leaves and branches lay everywhere in the yard. A flag from on me of the flagpoles in town was torn up and caught on one of the bushes. A couple of Mr. Porter's fruit crates lay in the driveway. Walking out the door the pups noticed Farmer Yumi's weather vein hung up on one of the trees in the yard. And a few wild roses and tulips from Mayor Goodway's garden had been uprooted and blown up onto Rocky's pup-house. Rusty farm equipment was leaned around Marshall's house; and a bird's nest was now sitting on Rubble's roof. Looking up, Ryder pulled an old sail down from the Lookout's roof from the balcony, and draped it over the railing.

"Man, that was some storm last night." The boy commented.

"Yeah, tell me about it!" Zuma agreed. Rocky barked out his claw to retrieve the metal chicken stuck in the tree.

"Got Farmer Yumi's weather vain. Looks like we'll have to take it back to her again." Rocky stated, slowly.

"Looks like we have a lot of work to do." Ryder added. The pups headed back in to fetch their gear and started work clearing away the sticks and broken branches. Chase retrieved the sail from Ryder to run it back down to the Bay to give to Capt'n Turbot. And Rocky and Marshall took Farmer Yumi's weather vain back to her; to put it back onto the barn. Rubble brushed on last stick into the pile.

"There, all done. That's all the sticks, Ryder." The yellow construction pup reported standing ready, next to the pile.

"Great! Once Rocky and Marshall get back we can load the sticks in Rocky's truck for him to properly get rid of them. Just then Chase's sirens faded in, as he pulled back up to the Lookout. Chase felt a tickle in his nose and he sneezed, but shook it off and hopped down as Ryder and the pups came to meet him.

"You're back already? That was fast." Ryder remarked thoughtfully.

"It wasn't too hard to find Capt'n Turbot. And he said he'd find out where the sail came from too." Chase told him.

"Well its good that you're back. Garby's missing from the Farm. I need you to go to Farmer Al's farm to help track him down." Ryder instructed.

"Yes, sir, Ryder, sir!" Chase barked, hopping back into his truck and driving off quickly.

Farmer Al and Farmer Yumi ran to meet him as Chase sped up to the farm.

"Howdy Chase!" Al greeted warmly. "Garby was in his pen last night when we put him in the barn, but somehow he must have gotten out and ran away."

"Poor Garby must be so scared out there." Yumi commented sadly.

"Don't worry! We'll find him." Chase told them bravely. "Do you have any idea which way he went?"

"Well... do these hoof prints help." Farmer Al walked over and pointed to little circular shapes in the mud, leading away from the barn window. Chase took one sniff of them, and was certain.

"They sure do!" The German Shepard confirmed. "That's definitely Garby. Come on, he can't have gone too far." Chase followed his nose wherever the scent of Garby led him. Chase felt that same tickly sensation and sneezed again. And he also noticed it was a bit harder to keep Garby's scent, they'd been tracking the missing goat for a while now when Chase coughed dryly and sneezed again.

"Chase? Are you alright?" Farmer Yumi asked, a bit concerned by this.

"Yeah, I think so." Chase replied, recovering himself once more. Suddenly they heard a bleating sound that they recognized.

"Hey! That sounds like..." Chase bounded through the trees toward the sound to find... "Garby!" The three of them exclaimed together. The farmers cheered and Chase howled triumphantly; though Chase's howl was cut short by bit more dry coughing. The goat had gotten his horns caught in some brush and was calling for help, as he tried to pull himself free from the entangled branches. Farmer Al and Farmer Yumi helped untangle Garby and Chase led them all back to the farm.

"Ryder! We Found Garby, and I'm on my way back." Chase reported, with a slight sniffle, as he started his vehicle and drove off. The two farmers stood waving, as he disappeared down the road.

"Great! Jake and Everest need help with cleanup from the storm on Jake's Mountain. Can you go lend a paw?" Ryder replied.

"Sure can! Headed there now!" Chase smiled. He howled again as he sped on, but it, too, was cut short by coughing.

"Hey Chase!" Jake greeted coolly. "Glad you could make it, dude."

"Hey Jake. How's it going up here?" Chase responded, as he ran to meet them. The words caught in his throat; and he sniffled and cleared his throat with a short cough.

"You feeling ok Chase?" Everest asked raising an eyebrow at him. "You sound a little groggy."

"I don't know. I-" Chase was cut off by another bigger sneeze, followed by couple more coughs. He finally realized how tired he was already, and felt a distant heaviness on his nose. Jake knelt down next to the German Shepard and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You don't sound too good, dude." He told him. "Maybe you should go home and get checked out."

"But what about all that needs done here?" Chase protested sadly, feeling defeated.

"You can always ask Ryder if he can send another pup." Everest suggested.

"Ok." Chase breathed his voice still a little off, as he slowly walked back to his truck. His head hung a little and his ears dropped a bit as he hopped back up into his truck. He coughed and sneezed once more as he activated his pup-tag. "Uh Ryder?" He said into it hoarsely.

"Go ahead, Chase. What is it?" Ryder answered him.

"Can.. you send another pup to help Jake and Everest?" The blue police pup sniffled, rubbing his nose.

"Sure... why?" Ryder was now starting to sound worried.

"Well... I'm not feeling so good. I'm on my way back now." Chase told him flatly.

"Ok Chase, drive safe." Ryder told him, feeling a little more at ease now. "I'll have Marshall ready for you when you get back. And I'll send Rubble to help Jake and Everest." Chase coughed over the com.

"Thanks Ryder." Chase responded then they hung up.

**Hey guys whasup?! So this story is fairly new, and thing about it, is that I will be trying something new that I've never done before. I will be trying to post new chapters every Friday. So that's when to expect new chapters. I will try to stay ahead of it and keep this going on the regular basis I've set. And if I can't I apologize, but I hope it's worth it with this story. Hope you guys like it!! Thx!!!**


	2. More!

Chapter two: More?!

Rubble was just returning home, when Ryder exited the Lookout.

"Rubble I need you to go up to Jake's mountain to help with the cleanup. Chase isn't feeling well and is on his way back." Ryder told him. The pups looked immediately in hearing this.

"Oh no! Is he ok?!" Rubble asked in shock.

"What happened?" Marshall asked, as he and Skye ran up to Ryder.

"I'm not sure." Ryder admitted. "That's why I need you to stand by for when Chase gets back." He pointed at Marshall in saying this.

"You got it Ryder!" The Dalmatian called, then raced off to get his gear ready for Chase. He was just coming back out when Chase finally returned again. But this time he was very different from the others... his head was hung a little, his ears drooping; and the sniffly, sneezy pup hopped down slowly and sat down where he landed. Ryder, Marshall, and Skye were there to meet him quickly.

"Chase? What happened? You don't look so good." Skye said, observing him carefully. Chase sniffled deeply.

"I know." Chase sighed, his voice clearly changed by this affliction.

"Let's get him inside." Marshall decided. "Then I can give him a check up." Chase numbly stood and walked along with them his head dropped and his eyes to the floor.

Marshall was taking Chase's temperature, while Ryder knelt beside the German Shepard with his hand on the pup's back. Chase sneezed again and shot the thermometer out of his mouth and it bounced around off the walls clattering to the ground next to them. Marshall had to dodge it to avoid getting hit by it, as it shot by. They all stared at it when to landed near them, rolling to a stop a couple feet away.

"It's just as I thought." Marshall concluded looking at Chase and then Ryder. "He's caught a cold."

"Was it because he was out in the storm last night?" Skye wondered quickly, concern grabbing a hold of her.

"Nope." Marshall shook his head. "A cold takes a couple of days to fully take effect. He was already starting to get sick before the storm... though it didn't really help much." Marshall shrugged at that last part, further demonstrating his feeling on the situation. Just then, the door slid open and Rocky and Zuma entered; Rocky slowly trotting and, Zuma steadily jogging in; keeping pace with Rocky. Both pups stopped at the sight of their friends bunched together around Chase, who was now laying down.

"What's going on in here?" Rocky asked, as the two drew closer.

"Not much." Marshall shrugged. "Chase caught a cold." They all looked down at him. The German Shepard sniffling and coughing once more, then peering hollowly up at them.

"Aww, poowr Chase!" Zuma whined sadly.

"Don't worry Zuma. With a little rest, liquids and warm things. Chase'll be feeling better in no time." Marshall comforted his friend with a pat on the shoulder. A smile slightly formed on the Chocolate Lab's face showing Marshall's success in cheering him up. The Dalmatian set an ice pack on Chase's forehead and covered him with a blanket.

That night though... Chase squirmed and grunted in his house. He clutched Officer Bear tightly, then released him and rolled onto his other side. The blanket twisted around him as he fidgeted about. That was how this whole night went...

Marshall was suddenly awakened by a crash! He thrust his head up and hit the roof of his house.

"Ouch!" He cried, holding his head. Then a familiar cough got his attention. "Chase?" He carefully slipped out of his house and headed out to the left to find Chase stumbling around away from him. "Chase? What are you doing? Where are you going?" He asked cautiously. Chase didn't seem to hear him, as he continued to mumble something and staggered toward the Lookout doors. When he reached them, though, he hit the side of the door frame and fell down. He gave a painful groan and dropped his head to the floor, curling up into a ball where he was. This behavior showed many red flags in Marshall's mind, so he raced as fast as he could to the elevator. Being the clumsy pup he was, he slipped and skidding into the elevator and crashed into the wall inside it. The Dalmatian recovered himself, as he began ascending the Lookout tower; though for some reason it seemed to be going in slow motion today.

"Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up!" Marshall whispered to himself impatiently. As soon as the door opened, he rushed forward and burst into Ryder's room. Ryder had just finished getting dressed, when his door flew open.

"Ryder, Ryder, something's wrong with Chase!" Marshall cried, blazing over to him frantically.

"What do you mean, Marshall?" The boy asked, standing immediately; worry in his tone.

"Come on, I'll show you!" The Dalmatian said, racing back to the elevator, followed by Ryder. By the time they returned, the other pups were all awake and nervously standing around Chase.

"Ryder! What's wrong with Chase?!" Skye asked, panic painted all over her face.

"That's what I'm here to find out." Ryder told her. He strode up to the circle of pups, who split ways to allow him through. Chase lay sprawled out on the floor where Marshall had left him, the look of pain across the pup's face. All that came from him was a weak moan and hoarse cough; which he groaned some more afterward. Ryder slowly bent down to pick him up, and as soon as he began to lift him up into his arms; Chase tensed and squirmed gingerly. Chase was so listless at this point; that when his weight was shifted by Ryder, his body fell limply into his arms. He dropped his head against Ryder's upper chest and shoulder, only making his head thump more.

"It's ok Chase." Ryder soothed quietly. "I've got you."

"Ryder?" Chase's hoarsely pained voice was so low that they almost didn't hear what he said; but just his tone alone broke their hearts.

"I think this is more than a cold." Ryder said, looking at the other pups gravely. "I'll call Katie. Whatever this is... I don't want you pups to get it." He took out his pup pad and dialed the number as quick as he could with one hand; since he had to use the other one to hold Chase.

"Ryder? Where's Chase? I came as soon as you called." Katie stated as soon as she arrived; but when she saw Ryder she froze. Chase was still relaxed in Ryder's arms, looking as uncomfortable as ever. Her heart instantly shattered at the horrible sight. And the other pups stood back, per Ryder's instruction. The boy wasn't about to let any of his other pups to get this sick too. Katie knelt next to Chase and took out her stethoscope. Putting it on she pressed the end of it to Chase's chest, and listened carefully for a few seconds. Draping the stethoscope around her neck she felt his forehead. At that moment Chase coughed, starting a major coughing fit and as it subsided the German Shepard looked more miserable than ever. Almost as if he were about to cry, which shocked them all. Chase sniffled a couple of times, as if to stop himself from doing it.

"Ryder..." Chase croaked, almost unable to speak. "E..e..every..th..thing.. h..hurts!" He gasped finally, they almost couldn't understand him, he spoke so softly. And his voice was so raspy that they barely caught it. Ryder frowned sadly and held him close; Chase listlessly staring out at eye-level from where his head lay against Ryder, his paw draped over the boy's arm and the other rested under him.

"This isn't good." Katie sighed, earning Ryder's worried gaze. "I think Chase has the flu." A gasp erupted from everyone.

"Oh no!" Rubble cried.

"That's what I was afraid of." Marshall sighed, looking away sadly.

"You mean you already knew?" Rocky asked.

"Well not exactly." Marshall admitted, his eyes hitting the floor and his ears dropping with them. "But the way Chase had been acting, I kinda had a guess that it was."

"So... what do we do Ryder?" Skye wondered cautiously. Suddenly a chill ran up and down his back and Chase shivered. Katie placed her hand on the miserable German Shepard's head.

"High fever, chills? Chase seems to be experiencing all the most common symptoms of the flu." She said. "Thankfully I have some things that might help." Katie strode back outside to her bike and came back with an assortment of items from the wagon she had attached to it.

Katie felt the two heat pads that she'd plugged in a few minutes ago.

"Ok I think they're warm enough." She said finally. Taking an extra soft pup-bed she laid one of the pads on it. Then she had Ryder carefully set Chase down on it, then set the other one on top of him. The German Shepard whimpered tensely as he was laid down, but settled once he was down. He coughed a couple times, whining sadly at this as the weight on his head pounded harder.

"So, what awre all the symptoms of the flu?" Zuma piped up, looking from Chase to Katie.

"The flu is a lot like a cold, but has a few extra symptoms that make it a lot worse than having a cold." Katie replied, an unfortunate flatness in her tone. "The flu's most common symptoms are headache, chills, high fever, muscle aches, and fatigue; which means you feel really tired all the time."

"And Chase is experiencing all of it." Marshall sighed, looking away again.

"All of it! On top of his cold? That's not good." Rubble remarked thoughtfully. The pups all whining sadly together.

"And the flu usually lasts about one to two weeks so we'll have keep an eye him until then." Katie added.

"Weeks?!" Skye squeaked.

"You mean Chase'll feel this miserable for that long?!" The bulldog in yellow gasped.

"Not quite," Katie shook her head simply. "The symptoms are usually the worst in the first couple of days, so he should start to feel a little better by then."

Chase had been listening to them this entire time, though no one could tell. And when he heard the two week part, he groaned in frustration and closed his eyes; Ryder laying a gentle hand on his back.

"Ryder, I think you should get the other pups vaccinated. They'd be less likely to get it after that." Katie suggested.

"You're right, Katie." Ryder agreed looking from Chase to his other pups. "I don't want you pups to have to go through this too." Chase glanced up at them, not even attempting to lift his head. But his eyes showed his agreement with Ryder's statement. When Marshall's eyes met Chase's, he saw the hollowness to them, and the pain that his friend felt stung into him. Marshall looked away, whipped around and walked slowly out of the room. As soon as he was out the door he raced to his pup-house as fast as he could. Ducking into his house, he pressed his back to the side wall; the Dalmatians breaths coming abruptly to him. The cork finally popped off that bottle of panic he'd kept deep within him this whole time. And all it's contents spilled out in the form of panicked, remorseful tears.

**Hey everybody, how's it hanging?! Can't wait to see what you guys think of this chapter. I admit that the first one isn't _quite_ as interesting the next ones hopefully will be. But I will leave that for you to decide. Hope you enjoy!! Thx!!!**


	3. Recovery And Precautions

Chapter three: Recovery; and Precautions

"Alright pups." Katie was saying ushering the pups out of the Lookout. "While Chase tries to get some rest, I'll be taking the rest of you down to go get a bath and your vaccination shots. We wanna be sure no germs make you pups get sick too."

"Ok." The pups replied, their head drooping a little and their voices losing their bubbly excitement; to which she knew why.

"Don't worry everybody. Chase will be fine. You'll see." She told them stroking Rocky's head. "Now let's get going, shall we?" The pups slowly walked with their heads still hung and their ears back as they headed for their trucks. "Hey." The pups stopped to look at her again. "Where's Marshall? Has anyone seen him?" Katie asked, finally noticing that the Dalmatian was no longer present. The PAW Patrol looked from one to another now, also, realizing that their fire pup in red wasn't with them.

"Don't worry Katie. We'll find him, he can't have gone far." Skye said. Then they all scattered to search of him.

"Marshall!" The pups called as they searched.

The Dalmatian was drying his tears when he heard their voices calling for him, and he quickly dried them even more; hoping to look like he hadn't been crying. When he was sure he looked fine, he took a quick breath and came out from hiding.

"Here I am." Marshall spoke up, gaining their glance.

"There you are Marshall. Where did you go?" Skye asked.

"Um, well..I... was... looking for something." Marshall fibbed.

"Oh, well did you find it?" The Cockapoo returned.

"No, but it's not important..." Marshall said, shrugging off the lie. "What's up?"

"Ryder wants us to go get a bath and a vaccination shot, so we don't get sick like Chase." Skye told him.

"Oh, uh...ok. Right behind you." The Dalmatian followed after her. They all grabbed their trucks and were off in no time.

The silence was shattered by another coughing spell from Chase, who moaned after recovering from it. He shifted his position gingerly, grunting painfully; his eyes remaining closed this entire time. Ryder sat there watching him, an unmistakable frown on his face. His strong German Shepard pup; tired, miserable and in pain... and all he could do was watch it. Ryder could recall having the flu once when he was younger; and how miserable he'd been. He wouldn't wish this disease on anyone... especially not his pups.

"I'm so sorry, Chase." The boy whispered, earning him the pup's glance. "If I'd have done something sooner... this wouldn't have happened." Ryder looked away, unaware that Chase was listening to him, until a little warm paw touched his leg. Ryder looked at it and then at Chase, he could see the forgiveness in his eyes; despite the pup not saying a word. He then noticed Chase's tail slightly wagging under the heat pad; and a comforting feeling rose up in him. As Chase tried to sleep once more...

Rubble gave a heavy sigh... one that didn't demonstrate his usual enjoyment of having a nice, warm bubble bath. Rocky and Zuma laid sprawled out on the floor, opposite each other. Zuma's head resting on his paw which was braced up off the floor; his right paw gently rolling a ball of yarn back and forth and then towards Rocky. The grey mixed caught it with his own paw and slowly rolled it back. Skye scratched behind her ear and sighed. Marshall hopped out of the water and shook, water spraying everywhere. Cali meowed in surprise and scurried away from him. Normally the PAW Patrol, especially Marshall, would find this amusing... but today... it seemed that nothing could life their spirits. Rocky sat up and cleared his throat cautiously, hesitating to break the silence.

"So... do you think-.. Chase is actually getting some rest?" He wondered softly.

"I hope so." Skye replied hopefully.

"Cause the sooner he does... the sooner he should start to feel better." Marshall pointed out.

"That's right!" Katie told them, hoping to instill a sense of confidence. "We just need to stay positive for him. And take good care of him til he does."

"But Ryder doesn't want us anywhere near him." Marshall reminded her. "How _can_ we help?"

"Don't worry. The flu isn't contagious the whole time someone has it." Katie reassured them, setting the shots up onto the table in front of her. "And with these vaccinations you'll be protected from it."

"Oh ok." Marshall said, kinda flatly. Katie set to work scrubbing Rubble up, and lifted him carefully out of the tub. She set a towel over him and began to dry him off.

"Thanks Katie." The bulldog said gratefully, a hint of sadness still poking through in his tone.

"No problem, Rubble." The girl told him. After she was finished with that, one by one she gave each pup their shot. "When Chase gets better I'll give him a vaccination too. So he doesn't catch the flu ever again." She was saying, as she put stuff away.

"So what now?" Zuma asked the circle of pups sitting next to him.

"Well how about we go play on the playground. It'll give your immune systems little time to absorb the vaccination." Katie suggested.

"Uh, ok." The Chocolate Lab attempted a smile, as he and the other pups stood up; their tail slightly wagging. All of them attempting to feel, even just a little bit, excited. Katie then led the way, as they all exited the pet parlor. Cali poked out from behind a stack of towels, and sighed with relief that they were finally gone.

Chase moaned weakly, he shifted his position, but a fire and a chill surged through him. He'd cringe then shift again, and the same thing resulted. He leaned his head on his other paw and the thumping returned. He grimaced, sneezed and sniffled; which began another wave of uncontrollable coughing. Another sneeze erupted from him and he groaned in a painfully frustrated way. He then heard Ryder hushing him, and his hand tenderly rubbing his back. He wanted to speak, but knew he'd start coughing again; and knew all too well what would result.

The ice pack on his head felt good on his hammering headache; and the warmth on his body helped him to relax. But it still radiated pain all over, and the sudden chills that would zap down his spine, into is paws, and back would cause him to flinch every time. Exploding more pain within his aching muscles, the cycle seemed to repeat itself over and over. And it seemed, to him, that the longer he laid there, the more he hurt. But then he'd move to try and relieve himself, and he would hurt even more. _Please let me sleep! _He silently begged. _Please! Please! Please!_ His mind screamed for it to stop, and his body that it couldn't; and this conflict continued to battle itself unimpeded.

Ryder looked sadly from Chase to the door, as it slid open, as the PAW Patrol and Katie returned from their outing.

"H..how's Chase?" Marshall asked cautiously, unsure that he really wanted to know. The boy didn't speak, instead he glanced up at Katie and the girl read his mind.

"No change?" She said, aloud; Ryder shook his head, looking away. The pups looked at Chase, their eyes wide; a million worries running through their minds. Chase slowly opened his eyes, and the same blank, miserable glassiness remained startling all of them. And yet, Chase's tail was _still_ slightly wagging under the covers, indicating that he was happy to see them; despite his poor condition. Marshall gulped and slowly inched forward. Chase's hollow eyes watched him come closer.

"H..hi Chase." Marshall stammered, sounding only slightly positive. The German Shepard shifted his head to the left to get a better view up at his friend; but when he did the weight returned and he grunted at, and settled as soon as he was still again. The blanket of heaviness still holding him down, and he had no desire to fight back against it right now. Marshall was amazed that, even despite all the misery Chase was going through, his tail was _STILL_ steadily wagging under the blanket. And that gave the Dalmatian hope that Chase was going to be alright.

"You should take a break Ryder." Katie suggested, seeing the sadness in the boy's eyes. "You've been watching him be miserable this whole time, you deserve a break." Ryder simply rose from his seat and walked to the elevator; Chase slightly attempting to watch him go. A small tear slipping down his cheek, before anyone could see.

As soon as Ryder closed the door to his room, he plopped down onto his bed; and put his head in his hands, covering his face. A couple sobs jerking his shoulders as he muffled them by his hands. He brushed away the tears with his sleeve as they came, desperately hoping to stop them... But they kept on coming; straight from his terribly broken heart. He looked up to the left at the far wall, a picture of him and Chase as a pup hung there. Their happy faces frozen in time... in a memory long since passed...

_A younger version of Chase scampered around the yard._

_"Ryder!" He called. "Ryder?" The little German Shepard ran past the tree-trunk playset. Ryder peeked out from around it at him, then shifted back and muffled a chuckle with his hand. Chase's ear twitched and he looked around behind him. Nothing. Chase adopted a mischievous grin and began sniffing back around the playset. Ryder looked to the opposite side, hearing Chase about to come around it and quickly ducked around the corner of it; just as Chase came around to where he once was. The German Shepard froze in confusion and continued to track. Ryder ran around to the other side. Peeping around he saw Chase's little wagging tail, his head around the corner. Slowly and carefully Ryder snuck up behind him, Chase somehow seemed to feel his shadow fall upon him, cause he looked up and turned around._

_"Boo!" Ryder cried. Chase whipped his body around and pounced up onto Ryder, knocking him to the ground._

_"Yay! I found you!" Chase's little voice howled, as he licked the boy's face. His tail wagging more violently now._

_"Haha, you sure did!" Ryder smiled scratching the pup behind the ears. And Chase began licking him even more and Ryder laughed, as the memory faded away..._

Ryder's gaze fell to the floor as he sat there quietly in lonely darkness...

**Hey guys hope you're still enjoying this story!! I'm not sure just how far this one'll go but I'm very excited for it! Anyway, enjoy!!! Thx!!**


	4. No Change

Chapter four: No Change

Chase sighed and coughed some more. Katie and the pups looking up at him briefly.

"So... will we know when he's getting better?" Marshall asked, looking at Katie. "I haven't really had much experience with the flu."

"Of course we'll know." Skye spoke up confidently. "We know Chase better than anyone. I'm sure we'll know when he's feeling better."

"Yeah. Who better to know that than us." Rubble agreed, optimistically.

"Except... maybe Ryder." Rocky pointed out, his voice lowering with his gaze; to which the other pups followed suit.

"Chase was his vewry fiwrst pup." Zuma stated, remembering the stories Ryder had told them.

"They've been together for a long time." Skye added. "Since Chase was a really little puppy."

"I bet he knows Chase really well because of that." Rocky guessed flatly. They all sighed together, Chase's sneeze drawing another brief attention to him.

Ryder lay on his bed his arms sprawled out across it, as he stared at the ceiling. He hadn't stopped thinking about Chase since he'd left. He knew that Chase had seen him go; he'd felt it. As Ryder lay there half resisting the urge to go check on him, but at the same time... feared going down their; for fear of falling apart again. Eventually Ryder plucked up the courage to get up and leave the room.

Chase coughed again, something catching in his throat; and then he was still once more. Katie pressed her stethoscope to his side, listened for a moment, then felt his forehead.

"Marshall, can we use you thermometer again." Katie asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Sure." The Dalmatian replied, standing up. "Arf, Arf! Thermometer!" Katie took it from its holster and eased it into Chase's mouth, the pup slightly objecting to it. A few seconds later, she took it out again to look at it.

"Well his fever's still pretty high..." Katie sighed. "But at least it hasn't gone up." A relieved sigh rippled amongst the pups. The elevator doors opening made everyone turn to look back, and there was Ryder standing right next to it; the doors sliding closed behind him.

"Oh, hi Ryder." Marshall greeted lightly. "We were just checking on Chase. But.. not much has changed."

"Oh, ok.. thanks Marshall." Ryder said, looking a little disappointed. The boy slowly strode up to Chase. He knelt down on one knee and placed a hand on the German Shepard's head. Chase looking up at him immediately, his eyes still glazed over and even more dull looking; his golden face looking paler than usual. But yet Chase _STILL_ had the ability to wag his tail; even just a little bit. All the pups, especially Marshall, had noticed this. Despite the terrible pain and discomfort he was enduring, he _still_ had the ability to show them he was happy to see them. This amazed them beyond measure, Chase was seeming to be a lot tougher than they thought.

"Um... Ryder." Rocky piped up. "Can you tell us another one of your stories? The ones from when you and Chase were younger?" Ryder hesitated. He looked at Chase, who coughed again and remained still once more, then back at the other pups.

"Well... I guess I could tell a story or two." Ryder responded. The pups circled around Ryder, as they laid down on the pup beds; Chase still off to the side where he'd been this whole time. "Chase and I were walking through the park, and we ran into Mr. Porter. I stopped to talk to him, but Chase must have ran off to play. So when I turned to call for him he was gone!..."

_"Chase! Chase!" Ryder called, becoming increasingly worried. "Chase!" The boy panned his eyes around the open space, no sign of a little German Shepard pup anywhere._

_"Hi Ryder, whatcha doing?" Ryder whipped around to come face to face with Katie._

_"I'm looking for Chase. I can't find him anywhere. He was right here a moment ago." Ryder's eyes fell to the floor._

_"Oh no!" Katie cried sadly. "Chase shouldn't be running around Adventure Bay by himself. It's too dangerous for a pup his age. Don't worry, I'll help you look for him."_

_"Thanks Katie." Ryder sighed, feeling a little bit better; as the two of them began the search._

_Chase giggled as he bounded after the butterfly. He soon stopped to look a something._

_"Woah!" He breathed. The sun reflecting off the water made it look like a bunch of diamonds. "Cool!" Chase sprinted across the quiet street toward the beach. Turning onto the wooden boardwalk he followed it out toward the shimmering ocean. Chase watched in awe, entranced by it as he approached. But it seemed that the closer he got, the farther away the sparkles seemed to be. The German Shepard walked a little further, and suddenly the ocean faded into a splash! Thrusting his head up, he paddled awkwardly coughing and spluttering from the water he'd gotten in his mouth._

_"Help! Help!" He cried._

_"Hang in there, little fella." A voice said from above him. Then a hand reached down and picked him up out of the water, and set him inside a small row boat. "You certainly aren't the seafaring sailor type." Capt'n Turbot told him, steering his boat toward the shore._

_"I guess not." The pup sighed, looking away. He stood up and shook the water from his coat, and sat back down. "I'm not even sure how it happened."_

_"Probably because you weren't watching where you were walking." The Capt'n figured, as the boat met the sand. Scooping up the small pup, he carefully stepped out of the boat; just as Ryder and Katie came around the corner of the shops across the street. Ryder and Katie caught sight him and they ran to meet him._

_"Missing a playful perky pup?" Capt'n Turbot asked, setting Chase in the boy's arms._

_"Chase!" Ryder cried, hugging the him close, the pup licking his face in a greeting. "Thanks Capt'n Turbot!"_

_"It looked to me that Chase decided to take a dashingly daring dive right into the bay!" The sailor told them._

_"Well, thank goodness you were there." Katie smiled, petting Chase thankfully._

_"Certainly. Such a successfully sensational save on a hot summer day. Glad I was there for it too." Capt'n Turbot saluted them and Ryder thanked him on last time._

_"Chase why would you disappear on me like that? I was so worried." Ryder gently scolded as they headed back toward the park to Ryder's ATV._

_"I'm sorry." Chase sighed, sadly lowering his head. "I didn't mean to scare you."_

_"Aww, that's ok." Ryder told him, scratching his head. "I just don't want to see you to get hurt. You were just lucky Capt'n Turbot was there to rescue you today."_

_"Yeah." Chase sighed again. "From now on, I'll try to do better about staying where you can see me. I promise." Chase snuggled up to Ryder face lovingly and the boy chuckled holding him in a tender embrace..._

Everyone laughed as Ryder finished his story.

"Aww, that's so cute!!" Katie sighed, recalling the memory. "I remember that day. It didn't take long to find him again. But we sure were worried about him."

"Though it wasn't the first time Chase got into trouble and needed rescuing." Ryder grinned slightly, a knowing smirk peeking out through the existing flatness he still felt.

"The first? What do you mean Ryder?" Skye wondering, cocking her head and raising an eyebrow at him. And Ryder began another story; which flashed across his mind as soon as he started to explained what happened...

_Chase popped up out from the basket as Ryder slipped off his helmet, and lifted the small German Shepard carefully down to the ground. The clouded skies made the land darker than usual, even for a fall evening. And the crisp wind blew in their faces, making them shiver slightly. A very slight rumble, was barely audible in the far distance from which it came. As they set aside their knowledge of the coming weather, the two were met by a smiling face; who came from the quiet farmhouse to greet them. The warmth her grin gave, helped them to forget the chill of the autumn wind, and the coming storm that was most fortuitous._

_"Thanks for inviting us to come see your new baby lambs, Farmer Yumi." Ryder said, taking Chase's helmet off and setting it in the basket on his ATV._

_"No problem." Yumi smiled. "I always enjoy having you guys around. Especially when you being such an adorable pup." Farmer Yumi knelt down to scratch Chase behind the ear, the pup snuggling up to her lovingly._

_"Sure thing. We love driving around Adventure Bay." Ryder said, gesturing to Chase._

_"Especially when we get to see other people." The small German Shepard added, licking her face. The Farmer laughed and stood up._

_"Well then come on. The little lambs are snuggled up in the barn." Farmer Yumi strode off, leading the way into the large red barn. The door creaked open and they all peered in. "Now Chase they're a little shy," Yumi told him in a low gentle voice. "So you'll have to stay calm so you don't scare them."_

_"You got it." Chase nodded. Then they all edged closer toward a small pen in the back left corner of the room. When they reached it, Chase peered in through the spaces of the fence and gasped. Two little lambs yawned and stretched as they emerged from a deep sleep. They looked to their mother laying next to them, and have a little bleat._

_"Aww, their so cute!" Chase breathed, his little tail wagging gently as he watched them. One of the lambs started to stand up, but no sooner had it gotten to its feet did it fall right back down. Ryder and Farmer Yumi chuckled as they slid the gate open. Chase stood there watching the lambs. Slowly and carefully, he inched closer to the open gate. The lambs caught sight of him, and for a moment they froze._

_"Don't be afraid little sheep." Chase told them, speaking in a calm, gentle voice. The sheep perked up a little and edged towards him, it became evident that the lambs were about the same size as the German Shepard. This was realized because one of the lambs was now nose to nose with Chase, and they gently sniffed each other. The lamb, finding nothing scary about him, trotted around him; bleating happily. The other coming to join it, and Chase just giggled at the two silly lambs. Ryder and Farmer Yumi exchanging an endearingly humorous grin, then looked back at Chase. The German Shepard got to spend time playing with the lambs, even racing around the inside of the barn with them. But at one point they got tired finally, and lay down to take a break together. Chase yawned, the lambs yawning with him, and laid their heads on him; as the three were curled up in the hay together. Yumi and Ryder went to grab some more hay for the lambs, to give them extra warmth; and when they returned all three of them were sound asleep. A tender smiled crossed both their faces... until a clap of thunder in the distance drew their eyes to the skies out the window._

_"*Gasp* Oh no! That storm is getting very close. You should probably head home, before you get caught in it." Farmer Yumi told him worriedly._

_"You're right." Ryder nodded. "But..." He looked at Chase, the pup looked so peaceful, and he wished he didn't have to wake him._

_"Don't worry Ryder. I'll help you keep him asleep if you want." Farmer Yumi told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Ryder felt better and they set to work. They managed to carefully maneuvered Chase out from under the lambs, successfully keeping all of the asleep._

_"We did it." Ryder stated now, holding Chase tenderly in his arms. Farmer Yumi helped get his helmet on, and draped a warm blanket and earmuffs over him when they tucked him in Ryder's basket._

_"Thanks Farmer Yumi." Ryder whispered gratefully, climbing onto his ATV._

_"No problem. Drive safe." The farmer replied, waving as Ryder started up the engine and drove away._

_Ryder managed to make it home before it started raining, and laid Chase down on a pup-bed on the Lookout's lower level. The pup stirred, but remained asleep; much to his surprise._

_"All that playing must have worn you right out." Ryder whispered humorously to him, aware that he probably didn't hear him. But with that he headed up to dress for bed; and, due to the storm, decided to sleep down with Chase that night._

_Chase and Ryder returned the next morning to the farm._

_"I can't wait to see my little lamby pals again. Chase gushed, giving a little hop of excitement. Ryder and Chase looked up as the door to the barn screeched open. Farmer Yumi came out of it, her face full of sadness._

_"Uh..hi Farmer Yumi. You look sad. Is something wrong?" Ryder asked, picking up on her feelings immediately._

_"Yes." The farmer sighed. "My little lambs have disappeared."_

_"Oh no!" Chase cried. "Ryder we've got to do something!" The boy thought for a moment, scratching his chin curiously._

_"Ah-Ha!" He snapped, an idea suddenly coming to him. "Chase, remember how we've been working on your tracking skills?"_

_"Uh yeah. Why?" Chase answered quizzically._

_"Maybe we can track them down." Ryder stated._

_"Oh yeah!" Chase gasped, finally understanding._

_"Farmer Yumi.. do you have something that has the lambs' scent on it?" Ryder asked, searching her face._

_"Well they have a blanket that they like to lay on.." The farmer recalled. "Would that work?"_

_"That's perfect!" Ryder confirmed. Farmer Yumi disappeared into the barn and reappeared a few seconds later. She brought with her an old tattered blue blanket, it had stains and rips and strings hanging off of it; but it looked very soft. Farmer Yumi handed it to Ryder, and the boy knelt down next to Chase with it._

_"Ok, Chase take a sniff." Chase obeyed the command and looked up at Ryder. "Got it?" Ryder asked._

_"I think so.." the German Shepard responded rolling his eyes up uncertainly. "But.. what do I do again?"_

_"Go find the trail of their scent." Ryder reminded him simply. "Your nose should lead you right to it. I'll hold onto the blanket in case you need it again."_

_"Ok." The pup began to walk around in circles, nose to the ground sniffing for the scent. Ryder stood there and watched; swiveling around where he stood to study him._

_"Let's go grab some gear, in case we need to rescue those lambs." Farmer Yumi suggested pointing over her shoulder toward the barn._

_"Good idea." Ryder concurred. "We'll be back Chase." Then he and Yumi headed back into the barn. Chase turned one last time, taking a couple steps toward the house and the open area leading to the forest when..._

_"The lambs!" Chase howled loud and long and bounded off in that direction._

_Ryder and Farmer Yumi finally exited the barn. When they'd heard Chase's howl, they headed out with the gear they'd collected. But when they came out they looked left, then right..._

_"Chase?" Ryder said._

**Hey everybody how's it hangin'? This story and my other story Pups Save A Missing Pup kind of are connected(becasue of some hopefully obvious reasons). That being said I would say More Than A Cold happens before Pups Save A Missing Pup. Anyways hope you guys are stil thoroughly enjoying this. And I can't wait to see what you think of it!! Enjoy!! Thx!!!**


	5. Origins

Chapter five: Origins

_"Chase! Chase!" Ryder called, with his hands to his mouth. "Which way did he go?" He thought aloud, looking around some more. Farmer Yumi took a couple steps forward and looked down._

_"Ryder look!" Yumi gasped pointing, the boy ran up to see what she was talking about._

_"Paw prints! Chase definitely came this way." Ryder observed. Pointing in the direction of the trail._

_"Then let's go!" Farmer Yumi decided following the small paw prints._

OOOO

_Chase snuffled and sniffed the ground, following his nose wherever it took him. He strode on and suddenly stopped, looking up._

_"Lost it!" Chase cursed. But then a faint sound reignited his hopes, and he took off after it. He heard the sound starting to grow, and he ran faster._

_"Hm, weird; sounds like I'm almost right on top of it?" Chase thought aloud, but when then he realized why and screeched to a stop. The German Shepard scrambled back as his front paws nearly slipped over the edge. He managed to regain a footing and was safe, when the ground crack he slid down with the crumbling ground. Chase coughed in the dust and pulled his head up, he looked up at the surface a short distance above him. It was just short enough to be too high for him to pull himself out, but when he looked down; a huge relief was there to meet him._

OOOO

_"Chase!" Ryder called, they'd been following the pup's paw prints for a while now._

_"Uh oh, Ryder. The tracks just stop." Farmer Yumi realized, gesturing to the path in front of them. Ryder studied how the surface of the ground slowly shifted from normal earth and grass, to a more rocky and sandy soil. He then noticed the drop a few yards away, and decide to call one last time._

_"Chase!" The German Shepard perked up at the sound of his name._

_"Ryder? Ryder! I'm down here!!" He called. Ryder and Farmer Yumi ran toward the hole and looked down, Ryder on all fours as he peered down over the edge._

_"Chase! There you are!" The boy called down to him thankfully. "Are you ok?"_

_"I'm ok." Chase shrugged. "But Ryder look! I did it! I found the lost lambs!" He gestured down further and when Ryder followed this, there on a lower level were the two lost lambs cowering below them._

_"Oh thank goodness!" Farmer Yumi sighed with relief._

_"Well then, let's get you all out of there." Ryder chuckled, uncoiling the ropes that they'd brought with them. "Ok Farmer Yumi, let's get down to Chase. Can you stay here and make sure the line stays firmly in the ground?"_

_"Sure can, Ryder." Yumi gave him a thumbs up and a smile._

_"Great!" The boy grinned, returning a thumbs up of his own. "Then I'm going in." Ryder had tied the rope around his waist and staked the other end into the ground and began his descent. Chase welcomed him with a lick to the face and, and gentle snuggle. "Ok Chase, I brought down another rope. I'll lower you down; so you can tie the rope on the lambs and I'll pull them up again."_

_"Um ok, I'll try." Chase responded, as Ryder tied the rope around him. Chase looked over the edge and gulped._

_"You can do it, Chase." Ryder encouraged placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know you're a little scared, but I need you to do this. For your lamby buddies." He gestured to the frightened lambs below them._

_"Ok." Chase gulped again. "For the lambs!" Chase suddenly felt brave, and slowly started down to them. His paws slipped on the rocky wall, but he kept going; and when he made it to the ground, the lambs came right up to him._

_"Don't worry little friends. We'll get you out of here." Chase told them, the two fluffy animals happily nuzzled him. One by one Chase got the lambs tied up. Ryder pulled them up and was tall enough to hand them up to Farmer Yumi._

_"Ok Chase, your turn. Come on back." Ryder called, tossing the end of the rope down once more. The German Shepard managed to tie the rope firmly around himself, and began to climb back up. Ryder reached down when he was close enough and lifted him up onto the ledge. Then handed Chase, as well, to Farmer Yumi waiting at the top; before climbing back up himself._

_"Phew! Glad that's over." Ryder said, brushing a hand across his brow._

_"Yes, and thank goodness you lambs are both ok." Yumi smiled, holding the lambs close. The two little sheep bleated gratefully. Chase giggled and they snuffled his face; their breath tickling his face, making him giggled some more. Ryder and Farmer Yumi led the way back to the farm. Chase bounded passed them when he caught sight of it, the lambs right behind him._

_"Thanks so much for helping me find my lambs, Ryder." Yumi beamed, turning to Ryder, and then back to Chase and the lambs running and playing together._

_"No problem." Ryder replied, contentedly. "I knew Chase could do it, he's such a good pup."_

_"And a very talented rescuer." Yumi commented thoughtfully, returning to her farm work._

_"Hm.. he is isn't he." Ryder thought out loud to himself..._

"The rescue that day partially helped me to realize how talented of a rescuer Chase was... and led me to starting the PAW Patrol. But I didn't actually start it til after I got Marshall." Ryder was saying, as the story ended.

"Wow! I nevewr wrealized that?!" Zuma gasped, awestruck by this fact.

"Yeah, I thought you started it before you took me in." Marshall questioned, confusion being a a major sound in his voice.

"Not officially." Ryder emphasized. "Remember the day Mayor Goodway recognized us in front of the whole town one time? That was the day we officially became the PAW Patrol. We had a dedication; and a celebration in our honor. And we even got the PAW Patrol symbol unveiled for everyone to see."

"Oh yeah! I remember that!" Marshall cried, finally recalling that day like it were yesterday. We hung the PAW Patrol shield on the Lookout that same day with my ladder."

"That's right." Ryder nodded. "And after that, we went on missions a lot more often and that's when I decided we needed more help.

"Then, I guess, we all kinda know the rest." Rubble pointed out.

Another coughing moan from Chase interrupted their conversation again, and they all looked over at him quickly; but he still seemed to remain asleep. They all sighed, all disappointed that Chase didn't seem to be getting any better.

"It's getting kind of late." Ryder said, breaking the silence. Having realized, now, what time it _really _was. "We should all go get some sleep."

"But what about Chase?" Marshall protested. "We can't just leave him here by himself."

"Don't worry, Marshall." Katie spoke up, rising from her seat. "Ryder and I'll keep an eye on him tonight."

"Of course we will." Ryder agreed, standing up as well. "We can both camp down here tonight. In case Chase needs us." Marshall still wasn't convinced, but went to bed nonetheless; and couldn't help but worry anyway. He almost couldn't sleep; thinking about Chase kept him up... for quite some time.

OOOO

Marshall was jerked awake once more. He could hear Chase's coughs inside the Lookout from his pup-house. But this time seemed different, the Dalmatian got up and snuck quietly toward the Lookout doors. Looking back he realized he wasn't alone, Rubble crept up behind him. They met the other pups at the door, coming from the opposite direction. Skye crouched down by the door opposite them, Rocky and Zuma falling in line with her; both attempting to peer out from around her. They exchanged glances and nods, as they heard Chase whimpering. They heard Chase coughing; a lot... followed by a horribly, raspy, groan of frustration. And a couple sneezes that sounded more like he was choking on something, hearing this they boldly stepped in front of the door. But what they saw when the door opened though, shocked them to a stand-still. An unmistakable gasp escaped all of them at the sight they beheld; every one of them instantly wishing they were imagining things...

**Hey guys hope you're like this story still. Just so you guys know, as I've said before I post this story every Friday, but unfortunately I'm kinda falling behind. So don't freak out I don't post another chapter on a Friday. I'll try to stay ahead of it if I can. But again, hope you're enjoying it. And I can't wait to see what you think of what's to come. Thx!!!**


	6. Night Scare!

Chapter six: Night Scare!

Ryder sat on a beanbag with Chase in his arms, he was rocking back and forth and trying his best to hush the distressed German Shepard. Chase was clearly in tears demonstrated by the sniffling and the painful sobbing. The blue police pup was mumbling something, but it was muffled by Ryder's clothing and his unusually hoarse voice. The pup would begin to cough uncontrollably; a lot harder than before. Sometimes stuff would catch on his throat, only make it worse; and every time he recovered from it, he would begin to cry some more.

"R..Ryder.. I..*sniffle* want to stop. *hiccup!* Plea-..se make it s..stop!" Chase bawled, burying his face into Ryder's shoulder to cry once more. The pups stood there in pure shock, some wanting to cry, others wanting to run away; but none of them moved. They realized that they couldn't do anything, but stand there staring.

"Shh, it's ok Chase. I've got you." Ryder hushed, setting his chin on Chase's head. The boy trying to keep himself calm as well. It took everything in him to keep his own voice from shaking... too much that is. Chase fussed some more and he tried everything he could to not cry, as he hushed him once more. "You'll be ok." The boy's voice only slightly betrayed his desired tone. "But right now you need to calm down, and relax. You'll feel better soon, I promise." Chase shifted his head to lay his cheek on his paws, and Ryder flattened him out to gently rub his back. Chase whimpered and took shaky breaths in an attempt to calm himself. He coughed again and groaned sadly, as another wave of heaviness slammed down on him. Katie just knelt there beside them watching, both kids looking up to see the shocked faces of the other pups. Their tired eyes widening at the sudden audience that stood in the doorway.

"It's ok pups." Ryder spoke up quickly, looking very tired himself. "*Yawn* Go back to sleep.. everything's fine here." Marshall ran around behind the group as they came closer.

"Ryder! What's wrong with Chase?!" Skye asked, her face completely distressed and concerned.

"Is he alwright?!" Zuma asked, afraid the answer was no.

"He's fine, everybody." Ryder assured them, his voice trembling slightly.

"He's just ready to be done being sick. That's all." Katie chimed in.

"Oh." The pups' eyes all dropped to the floor, as Chase sniffled and coughed some more.

_XXXX_

Marshall dove around his house and laid down next to it, covering his eyes with his paws in an attempt to stop the tears that were welling up in his ocean blue eyes. But to no avail did he succeed, he hoped now that no one could hear him; or, at least, wouldn't come looking for him. His wishes, though, were not reality...

"Mawrshall?" Zuma's quiet voice made him jump and he turned his head to look, all the pups stood there. As soon as they caught a glimpse of the Dalmatian's tearful, hurting eyes, their hearts shattered in their chest; some even feeling afraid, having been caught off guard by this.

"Oh Marshall! *sniff* *sniff*" Skye cried, tears in her eyes at the painful sight. "Please don't cry!!" She leapt onto him and bawled into his shoulder; unable to stop herself. Rocky, Zuma and Rubble watched this terrible display and couldn't resist joining them. Soon they were all laying there together outside Marshall's fire pup-house, crying and hugging each other. Releasing all the pain and sorrow they'd been feeling, their sadness feeding off the others' remorse as well.

_XXXX_

Marshall's eyes stung in the morning light, his paws finding their way up to his face to shield it from the sun's rays. As his eyes adjusted though, he felt a warm sensation on his body. Skye lay pressed up against him, when her paw over his shoulder. Rocky's chin rested across his back, and Zuma and Rubble were snuggled up behind him. Carefully wriggling out from under Skye and Rocky, he quietly snuck towards the Lookout once more. He half hesitated to go in there; but after last night, he also couldn't bare not knowing if his friend was alright. Seeing how distressed he was last night, still scared him; especially if he still was that way now. But his curiosity and love for his best friend, seemed to overtake that fear and he forced himself on. Entering the Lookout his shadow was cast long across the floor. The light that was cut out by the sunlight behind him nearly reaching the area in question. Ryder lay sprawled out on the same bean bag, he was tilted to one side and his arms were bent awkwardly out from his sides. Looking to the far right Katie was snuggled on the floor with her hands under her head; both kids looking exhausted, and Marshall knew he couldn't blame them. They'd probably had a long night dealing with Chase last night. Which brought the blue police pup to mind in an instant. Marshall edged into the room a little more. His shadow merging with the slight darkness of the room, a cough revealed the position of the pup in question. He was laying on a pup-bed between the elevator and Ryder's beanbag. His right cheek on his paws and his body fully stretched out across the pillow. Even Chase looked tired, his eyes were slightly sunken in and puffy from crying. Marshall could see that, even now, he was uncomfortable and disturbed. But unfortunately, the Dalmatian didn't know how to change that, and that's what hurt the most. Seeing a problem he couldn't fix, one that was tormenting someone he cared very deeply about... His best friend. Marshall then crept out of the room, wanting all of them to stay asleep; knowing that they needed it. He then stepped over the other pups; who were also still sound asleep, and laid down again. Though it was about the time they normally were awake; with or without Chase waking them up, like he normally did. They all needed the extra sleep... especially after all they'd lost the night before...

_XXXX_

_Chase gently stirred, then thrust his head up in an echoey gasp. He looked around him, confused as to where he was. He stood up, as a light appeared to his left, earning his attention... He was laying there, sleeping on the same pup-bed he'd been placed on. His own discomfort showing across his face, he suddenly felt that pain return in the form of a wave that came and went. He watched his other self squirm uneasily, the painful wave washing over him again. He stood up straight and looked at himself; his body has been in constant pain this entire time, but why was he suddenly only feeling it in waves? Was he in physical danger? Or was he just going mad? Was he losing his mind? Or maybe he was just imagining the initial pain? All questions that he desired questions to. But when would he be able to get them? He laid down on the ground and covered his face with his paws; a frustrated groan coming from him._

_"Why?... why is this happening to me?!" He cried, tears spilling down over his face. His soft whimpers became light sobs, and he remained this way for what seemed like forever..._

_XXXX_

The sun was now fully up and beat down on Adventure Bay, as it sometimes did. And the pups outside stirred from their slumber, Marshall decided to stay awake this time; since he'd already been awake earlier and gone back to sleep. All of them slowly crept toward the Lookout doors, half dreading what they would find; especially after last night. But to their relief, it was silent in the room when the doors opened. That relief was soon shattered though, when Katie and Ryder turned to look back at them; the lack of sleep displayed across their faces.

"Ryder? What's wrong?" Marshall asked slowly, as they all crept closer.

"*Sigh* Chase... isn't getting any better." Ryder sighed, earning him an inevitable gasp from the pups.

"Though the good news is he's not getting any worse either." Katie told them thankfully. "But unfortunately we'll have to give him some antivirals to hopefully help him start to improve."

"So..what will happen if they don't work?" Skye asked cautiously, dreading the answer.

"Very bad things, I'm afraid." Katie sighed. "But were hoping it won't come to that. Marshall, I'll need some stuff from your truck."

"Um..ok, you got it." The Dalmatian slowly bounded off to get his gear, and returned shortly after with everything she needed.

"Great! Thanks." Katie smiled slightly. "Now we need to give Chase an IV, that's how we'll administer the medicine." She took up a needle and knelt beside Chase. "I'm so sorry about this, Chase." She told him, taking his left leg and sticking the needle into it. Chase squirmed and whimpered, but tried his best to remain still. Katie grabbed a short tube and connected it to the needle; and taped the needle down so it wouldn't fall out. She then proceeded to take out a small vile and a syringe. Holding it up to the light out the window, she measured out the vile's contents into the syringe. Taking the IV tube, she administered the medicine into it; Chase unaware of this, as far as they could tell. Katie stroked him gently across the neck and back; carefully pinching the scruff of his neck, she adopted a concern look.

"He seems dehydrated, has he been drinking?" Katie turned her gaze on Ryder.

"No, I've been trying, but he won't take it." Ryder sighed in defeat.

"Then we'll need to rehydrate him, and I guess he hasn't been eating then either, huh." Ryder shook his head sadly.

"Marshall, do you have a selene pack and a vitamin drip?" Katie asked, glancing at the Dalmatian.

"Um, I think so. I'll go check." The pup turned and disappeared yet again.

"Turns out, I have both." Marshall reported when he returned, setting the two items in question before her.

"Great! Hopefully these will help him start to feel better." Katie hooked both of them up, starting a second IV tube in the same leg, and hung the two pouches up on the stand Marshall had brought with him. When she was finished she stood up and they all stood watching.. waiting;... and hoping for a good change to occur.

**Hi guys! This story has been great and I think there are only a couple more chapters left, but however much longer it's gonna go, I'm soo glad you guys have enjoyed it!! Also just so you guys know, there are no ships other than Friwndship here as always. So any mentions of love or anything is just the love for a best friend(as you may have read). Oh! Also if you guys didn't catch it the title is a creative reference of the Nightmare. Night _Scare _instead of Night _Mare. _Anyway, enjoy this next chapter!! And I'll see you next week. Thx!!!**


	7. Hope?

Chapter seven: Hope???

Marshall sighed, he lifted his head off of his paws to look at Chase. The German Shepard lay far to his left, facing the door; the opposite direction of himself. He coughed a couple times and settled his head down once more; keeping his eyes closed the whole time, clenching them to cough. The pups were all scattered throughout the Lookout waiting _still_; Ryder sat next to Chase as usual. And Katie also remained close by; sitting on a pillow next to Rocky, gently scratching the worried mixed breed's back. The pups all slowly looked up in hearing a familiar whimper; Chase squirmed uncomfortably, his whimpering becoming a weak frustrated cry.

"Don't cry, Chase." Skye whined, as they all slowly drew closer.

"I..I'm c..cold- a..again." Chase stammered, shivering. He coughed and whimpered some more. Marshall's face lit up at this and he quickly looked around. Finding the item in which he sought after, he hopped toward it and carefully dragged over Chase, draping his blanket over him. Marshall then also ran and grabbed his own blanket, and draped it over Chase as well. The Dalmatian finished by cautiously scooching up onto the pillow next to the German Shepard snuggling up to him.

"Is that better?" He asked softly.

"Y..yeah." Chase almost whispered this, as he leaned his head toward Marshall; gingerly shifting his weight over to him. The red fire pup could not resist this gesture going unreturned; and he gently pressed his temple to Chase's and rested his head on his own paws. Katie smiled tenderly at the moment, a flutter of pride for Marshall's noble act dispersing a warm, fuzzy feeling within her.

"Well at least he's talking to us." She said after a short silence. "That's a good sign."

"Do you think that means he's getting better?" Skye asked hopefully.

"It might." The girl responded, looking the Cockapoo in the eyes. "Marshall, you stay put; I'll come take another look at Chase." The Dalmatian nodded intently. Katie took up her stethoscope and walked around the two pups to Chase's left side. "I'm so sorry Chase, but this'll be a little cold." She warned. Sliding her hand under the blankets, she listened for anything a abnormal. Chase shied away from her touch, but relaxed a second later. Katie's brow tensed quizzically, her eyes almost flashing a question mark across them.

"Something doesn't sound right." She said finally, plucking the ear tips from her ears. "I need a better angle." Stringing the instrument around her neck, she smoothly slid her hands under Chase. "Sorry about this again, Chase." She said, before carefully picking him up; blankets and all. Chase grunted painfully and fidgeting roughly in protest. "Ryder?" Katie said glancing back at him. And when he nodded, she swiftly set him in the boy's arms. Laying the pup on his back, she tried her best to keep the blankets securely swaddled over him; keeping his chest exposed. Re-placing her stethoscope, she pressed the end of it to his left side then his right; listening to each breathe he took.

"His breaths seem a little off, I worry about an infection." Katie sighed, draping the instrument around her neck once more. "We need to do something or he'll get pneumonia."

"What's that?" Rubble asked, shrinking down fearfully.

"It's an infection of the lungs." Katie told him. "And it's definitely something we don't want him to get." She pulled the blankets up to Chase's chin, fully covering him now, and stood up slowly. "Unfortunately the antiviral medicine we need for him is back at the pet parlor. And on my bike it'll take me a while to get there and back."

"Don't worry, Katie." Ryder spoke up. "I'll get you there on my ATV. The pups can keep an eye on Chase, while we're gone." He carefully stood up and set Chase onto the pillow again, the pup anxiously jostling from the movement.

"Great, let's go." Katie smiled slightly. "Marshall, keep monitoring him, and let us know if anything changes. We'll be back as soon as we can."

"You got it!" Marshall responded, firmly nodding. With that, the two kids looked at each other and ran out the door. After watching them go, the pups, then, turned their attention to Chase. All of them dragging up more pillows and laying down next to him; Marshall snuggling up next to him like before. The highly trained EMT pup gently pressed his ear to Chase's side, and could here a very bubbly, raspy sound in his chest. And he noticed that he was wheezing a little too; Marshall knew this wasn't good, and hoped even more now that Katie and Ryder got back quickly. He was relieved when they _did_ finally return; though Chase hadn't changed much, he had developed a wetter cough than before.

"We're back!" Katie announced, as they re-entered the Lookout. "How's Chase?"

"He's alright, not much has changed though." Marshall sighed.

"But he is starting to breath a little funny." Skye said, pacing towards them. Katie knelt down and felt along his back and ribs.

"Seems like it's getting more noticeable too." She said. "But this should help stop that." She was brought in a small tank. It looked like an air tank for scuba gear, only on a metal stand and two wheels. There was a gauge on the top, from which tubes jutted out from it. Katie took a cup-like object attached to these tubes, and slipped over Chase nose. Chase began to lightly cough which grew more intense, and he retracted his head away from it. Katie repositioned it again and again, and he resisted each time. Katie finally took Chase and set him in Ryder's lap again, lying on his back, and held the mask to his face. The German Shepard began to cough again, distantly trying to resist once again. His paws braced against her hand to push it away, but he didn't possess the strength to do so; yet he still tried anyway. But to no avail did he succeed, and as Katie held it there he coughed some more; but after a while it started to subside yet again. Once that occurred she had Ryder hold the mask on Chase, while she listened to his chest again.

"Ok, he's starting to sound better." She said thankfully. "But we may need to do this a few times, until his body really starts to fight the infection in its own."

"So.. what does that mean?" Rubble wondered.

"It's means we'll have to keep a close eye on him, in case the infection comes back or worsens." Marshall answered simply.

"Right." Katie confirmed. "We don't want this infection to develop.. or spread. Best to stop it before it even begins."

_XXXX_

Chase coughed dryly as he held his paws gently Ryder's; the mask treatment had made an improvement to his breathing and he could breathe a little more easily every time. Chase somehow felt a little more awake than he previously had, his glassy eyes stared blankly ahead of him as his paws remained gripped around Ryder wrist; which held the mask to his face. Though the German Shepard still didn't feel good, his tail was wagging substantially more than before. He could feel some of his strength returning, and the pain lowering. Katie listened to his chest.

"It's been a couple days..." She said, pulling the ear pieces from her ears. "But he's sounding much better. I don't think he'll need the treatment any more." With that, Ryder handed the mask to Katie to put away, then laid Chase down on his pup-bed carefully. The pup made no attempt to move, but didn't seem to be in as much pain or discomfort as before.

"So-.. does that mean.. he's getting better?" Marshall asked cautiously.

"I think so Marshall?" Ryder replied, a relieved smile on his face.

"Yay!!" The pups cheered. A certain Cockapoo pup in pink unable to keep herself from backflipping with excitement.

"So.. how long do you think it'll take for him to get better?" Rocky asked.

"Not sure, Rocky." Ryder shrugged. "But things are looking good as of right now. He's doing much better. Don't worry; I'm sure he'll be back to his old self in no time." Ryder looked at Chase as he said this; to which the German Shepard rolled his eyes up to look at him, and wagged his tail gently at the mention of his name. The pups were relieved to see more personality and emotion in his eyes, further instilling a sense of ease that their friend was, indeed, recovering.

"He'll be getting stronger soon, if this continues." Katie reported happily; scratching Chase behind the ear. The pups all looked around at each other excitedly, their tails beginning to wag faster and faster.

"Thank you.. Katie." Chase's voice was so hoarse they almost didn't catch what he said. Everyone gasped in surprise and delight. The pups' tails wagging even more. And as the days went by, their excitement graciously grew; as Chase continued to improve.

"Can I go play yet." He would ask, at times.

"Sorry buddy, but you're not quite ready yet." Ryder would tell him. "You need to rest a little longer until we're sure you're fully back to normal." Chase would be disappointed; but then the other pups would cheer him up by playing calm games with him; and having Pup Pup Boogie dance-offs to entertain him.

**What is up everybody!! So this seems like a good ending right? Nope! There still a bit more to go! I think there'll be about three maybe four more chapters after this(chapters eight and nine for sure!;)). And then it'll be done, so it's starting to wind down. But I am soooo glad you guys enjoyed it!! Til next time everybody! Thx!!**


	8. Pup Tales

Chapter eight: Pup Tales

"Hey Marshall." The red fire pup froze and whipped around toward the voice.

"Chase?! What are you doing here?! You're supposed to be resting!" Marshall cried in surprise.

"Ugh, that's all I've _been_ doing." Chase shrugged, distastefully. "I've been locked up in the Lookout for days! I need something to do else other than lay around. _Please_." Marshall could see the begging look in his friend's eyes.

"Sorry Chase." Marshall sighed. "But you need to rest a little longer for you body to fully heal." Chase groaned and dropped his head and shoulders.

"But I feel fine!" The German Shepard protested. Marshall rolled his eyes knowingly.

"Let's go." He told him, nudging his friend back the way he'd come. Marshall led Chase back to his bed and the recovering pup plopped back down, giving an exasperated sigh. He looked at Chase and shook his head humorously, he knew how much Chase hated sitting still for long periods of time. And that thought suddenly gave him an idea.

"I'll be right back, Chase. Stay here." Then, with that, the Dalmatian raced away.

"Chase is bored." Marshall was saying, as he and Ryder emerged from the elevator a short time later. "And I think I have an idea for how we can help him out with that." The main doors opened and they both looked; as the other pups came flooding in to meet them.

"Hey Marshall." Skye greeted, as they bounded up to the pair. "So what'd you want to meet us here for?"

"I think I have another way to keep Chase busy, while he recovers." The Dalmatian announced to the group. Chase, having heard this looked up at them, his tail wagging hopefully at the possibility. Marshall trotted over and laid down next to Chase. The other pups looked at each other before following suit, all scattered around the room in a rough circle. Ryder sat down on a beanbag with them; and everyone looked to Marshall.

"Since Chase has been forced to lay around and all, I was thinking we could tell more stories." Marshall began, shooting a glance at Ryder. "Like-.. maybe some more Chase stories?"

"Or stories about how we became the PAW Patrol!" Rubble piped up excitedly.

"Heh heh, ok." Ryder smiled, taking the hint. "Chase wasn't as brave a pup as he is now." The boy shot a knowing grin at the German Shepard. "But he was adored by everyone in Adventure Bay; and Katie especially liked him. And often times... she'd come to help me out with him. Especially when he was really young..."

_The door silently slid open, a shadow immediately being cast itself across the floor._

_"Hello?" Katie called, her voice tender in volume. She searched the room, only a small portion of the sunlight outside was able to push past the thick glass windows; letting just enough light to see the vivid details of the inside of the Lookout. She finally spotted what she was looking for, and headed slowly toward it._

_"Ryder?" The boy jerked awake at the sound of her voice. He lifted a hand to his neck, which felt stiff from the awkward angle in which he'd been sleeping. Ryder yawned deeply and rubbed the sting from his eyes._

_"Oh, hey Katie." The boy finally replied, lowering his hand to his side. "What's up?"_

_"You look exhausted! What happened?" Katie asked, seeing the exhaustion clearly imprinted on his face._

_"*sigh* It's Chase." The boy tilted his head back and pointed his thumb toward the small pup fast asleep on a pup bed next to him._

_"What's wrong with him? Is he ok?" Katie wondered, feeling a bit worried rather quickly._

_"No, no, he fine. It's just- he doesn't sleep through the night. I've had him for only a few nights, and it's taken me forever to settle him down for bed. I've tried a bunch of things, but nothing seems to work." Chase squirmed uneasily and shifted positions. Katie knelt down next to the pup and laid a gentle hand on his head._

_"What exactly does he do?" She asked, gazing up at him curiously._

_"I don't know. It seems different every night." Ryder admitted, recalling no noticeable pattern._

_"Maybe I can help. I've got some things we could try with him tonight if you want." Katie offered brightly._

_"That would be great." Ryder sighed, the relief in his tone undeniable._

_XXXX_

_That next night, Katie arrived at the Lookout once more._

_"Ok Ryder, you show me what you've been doing with him; so I can see it in action." Ryder nodded and they entered together._

_"Alright Chase, time for bed." Ryder called to the pup playing on the floor. Chase batted at the ball, and looked up when his name was called._

_"Aww, do I have to?" The German Shepard protested, flattening his ears slightly._

_"Sorry buddy." Ryder apologized, stooping down to Chase's level. "But you're still a little pup and you need a good night's sleep. Come on." He held his arms out for the pup, who groaned and obediently came. Ryder picked him up, took him to his pup bed; and laid him out on it. Ryder draped a blanket over the pup and began to walk away._

_"Sleep tight, Chase." He told him tenderly._

_"Are you going to sleep too?" Chase asked, stopping the boy in his tracks._

_"I think I'm gonna stay up a little while longer. But you need to get some rest." Ryder replied, softly._

_"But I wanna stay up with you." Chase protested, lifting his head off the pillow._

_"I know, Chase." Ryder replied, kneeling down next to the pup once more. "But right now you need to go to sleep. I'll still be around, if you need me. I promise I won't go far.. how about I stay where you can see me... ok?"_

_"Ok." Chase sighed, finally giving in. Ryder smiled and strode away. He began tidying up the Lookout's lower level, picking up toys and pillows that Chase had missed earlier that day. Chase would lay there watching, his chin between his paws; his eyes showing he how tired he actually was.. yet he clearly seemed to fight it. Ryder continued to occupy himself with random things, keeping quiet so he wouldn't disturb Chase. He would occasionally peek over at Chase, and unfortunately found him still awake. Sometimes Chase would have his eyes closed, but could almost feel the boy's eyes on him and opened them to look. Katie caught on to this and approached Ryder._

_"Ryder, I think you're distracting him." Katie told him._

_"I know, but if I leave he begins to cry. I thinks he's scared to be left alone." The boy guessed._

_"What else have you tried with him?" The girl asked next._

_Ryder read Chase a story, drove him around Adventure Bay, and rocked him any way he could, but nothing worked._

_"The only thing that I've found works is this." Ryder was sitting on a bean bag, Chase laid against his chest; steadily scratching the pup's back. It only took a matter of minutes for the German Shepard to finally fall sound asleep; but Ryder remained the same._

_"It took a while, but he's finally asleep." Katie stated. "So how are you still so tired in the mornings?"_

_"Because he doesn't stay asleep." Ryder returned simply. He carefully turned to settle Chase on a pup-bed, covering him with his blanket again. "A lot of times, he wakes up in the middle of the night, and I can't seem to figure out why. I've had to keep my phone on all night, in case he wakes up. Sometimes I hear him right away, and other times he cries for a little while before I here him, from my room. Lately I've just been staying down here with him, because I never know when he's gonna wake up crying again." Katie took all of this in._

_"Hmm." She pondered them carefully, determined to get to the bottom of this._

_"Ok, so he tries to fight sleep, by watching you. But when you leave he gets upset. And he wakes up multiple times in the night crying." Katie listed these facts off as though placing them out like pieces of a puzzle, in an attempt to make the connections. "He's a bit too old to still be doing that, right?" Her gaze fell on Ryder once more._

_"I think so, but he still does it. And once I get him calmed down, it takes a while for him to fall back asleep." Ryder was clearly frustrated, when saying this. Katie couldn't blame him; it was frustrating not understanding the cause of the problem this sweet pup seemed to be having. But she refused to give up, for both her friends' sake._

_Suddenly a little whimper drew their attention and they scrambled toward it. They ran around the elevator to find, Chase fussing with the pillow below him; his whimper turning into a gentle cry._

_"Shh, it's ok Chase." Ryder told him, taking the pup into his arms. But Katie couldn't help but curiously stare at him; the way Chase was acting was unlike anything she'd seen before._

_"Chase seems to be experiencing something that we don't know of." Katie told Ryder, who stood holding a sleeping Chase in his arms. "Maybe something he experienced during, or before he ended up on your doorstep."_

_"Like what?" Ryder shrugged, diverting attention to Chase just long enough to calm him, as he suddenly flinched at the slight motion of Ryder's shoulders._

_"I'm now sure." Katie admitted, still watching Chase settle once more. "We don't really know what environment he came from. So it could be anything. But it's gotta be tough going from wherever he **was**, to end up here in a strange place; with a couple of strange people."_

_"I think you're right." Ryder sighed. "But we have to figure out how to help him sleep at night. Or we'll all be exhausted all the time."_

_"Well we know holding him works." Katie recalled, looking at Chase again. "But when we put him down, he doesn't stay asleep. There's gotta be something we can try, that'll keep him asleep all night without having to hold him. Cause I'm sure you don't really get much sleep doing it."_

_"Yeah, I love holding Chase." Ryder confirmed, looking at the German Shepard lovingly. "...and he's very cute when he sleeps.. but I can't keep doing this every night. We don't know how long it's gonna take to find his real owners, or if we'll even **find** them."_

_XXXX_

_Chase raced around the room, bashing and crashing about, bounding over pillows and hopping over toys; chasing the little red ball bouncing away. He laughed and giggled all the while, completely unaware of the going's on around him. Katie and Ryder stopped for a moment to watch him, as he tumbled over another pup-bed and kept on running._

_"It seems like nothing has worked." Ryder sighed, returning to the task at hand. "I've even tried playing a lot of running games, like fetch in the yard to wear him out before bed. But even if he goes to sleep right away from exhaustion he still wakes up at night." By this time both kids were extremely tired, this being plainly evident by their faces. "I would ask someone to take him for one or two nights..." Ryder went on sadly. "But I don't want them to have to deal with Chase not sleeping like he should."_

_"At this point, you might have to." Katie sighed. "At least until we think of something... Maybe he'll grow out of it someday."_

_"Yeah... maybe." Ryder said, his gaze downcast; half doubting it. They both turned around to find Chase sleeping, his head and paws held the red ball like a pillow. And a toy that played a tune, sat right next to him; like he'd been playing with it. The toy softly played the 'Go To Sleep' song and Chase clung a bit tighter to the ball, snoozing away on the floor. His little paws wrapped around it, was the only thing keeping it from rolling out from under his head. Katie looked at this and began to wonder._

**Whats up everybody!! Only a couple for chapters left til the end. So glad you been enjoying it. And I can't wait to see what you guys think of what is to come. Hope you liked this chapter! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it!! Thx!!!**


	9. Oh, The Memories!

Chapter nine: Oh, The Memories!

_"Ok Chase, time for bed." Ryder called that evening._

_"Aww." The German Shepard groaned, as usual._

_"Don't worry, Chase." Katie grinned. "I have something that might help you get to sleep." She set a box on the floor and knelt down to it. Being young and curious, Chase came closer hoping to find out what was inside it. His wait was not in vain, as Katie reached into the box and pulled out a bear. It wore a police hat and everything, the uniform was a light and dark blue, and the star on his shirt shone brightly._

_"Woah!" Chase breathed. "For me?!"_

_"Yup, his name is Officer Bear." Katie smiled. "He can be your snuggle buddy." She stood up with the box and set it up on a table. Chase inched toward the bear and cautiously paced around it; before leaping forward to wrap his paws around it._

_"I love it!!" Chase cried happily, his tail wagging violently. "Thanks Katie!!"_

_"No problem, Chase." Katie returned, half-laughing. Ryder picked Chase up and took him over to a pup-bed to lay him down. Draping his blanket over him, the pup yawned._

_"But I'm not sleepy?" The German Shepard protested, laying his head on his paws, and holding the bear close to his chest._

_"Well check this out..." Katie said, then pressed Officer Bear's nose. And when she did so the song began to play; soft and sweetly._

_"Cool!" Chase breathed. He yawned again, and snuggled the bear once more. Not much time had passed, before Chase was fast asleep. Ryder and Katie stood watching, a tender and endearing smile on their faces._

_"I can't believe that worked." Ryder commented, whispering so not to disturb Chase._

_"We'll see how he does tonight. Hopefully Officer Bear will help keep him asleep all night." Katie remarked, optimistically._

_"I think I'll camp down here, just in case." Ryder decided._

_"Hope it all works out." Katie told him. "Let me know how it goes tomorrow, and I can come by and help if it doesn't work out."_

_"Sure thing. Thanks Katie!" Ryder waved, as Katie headed off into the night to head back home._

_When he was finally alone he glanced at Chase, and sighed... hoping with everything he had that this plan was going to work..._

_XXXX_

_"Hi Ryder, so how'd Chase do last night?" Katie asked, when she picked up the phone that morning._

_"Chase actually stayed asleep last night!" Ryder reported excitedly. "I heard him fuss a bit, but Officer Bear seemed to put him right back to sleep!"_

_"That's great, Ryder!" Katie grinned, satisfaction in her tone._

_"I'm gonna wait another couple of days to be sure, but it looks like we finally figured it out." Ryder said._

_"Ok, see how it turns out and let me know." Katie replied._

_"No problem!" After this, the two said their goodbyes and hung up._

_XXXX_

_"So how's Chase been sleeping?" Katie asked Ryder, as they strolled along the beach, along the Bay._

_"Well it's been a few days, but Officer Bear works like a charm." Ryder smiled, scratching Chase's head. He then set him down; and as soon as he did, the pup spotted a crab and decided to go chase it. The two kids laughed, as the crab scrambled across the sand away from the boisterous German Shepard._

_"I think Chase is gonna be just fine now." Ryder decided, heaving a sigh of relief..._

"Aww, that's soo cute!" Skye gushed. Chase giggled bashfully.

"I never knew you had so much trouble at first." Rocky commented thoughtfully.

"Me neither." Rubble agreed. "But I had always wondered how you got Officer Bear."

"Well now you know." Chase shrugged. Marshall then turned to Ryder.

"That was good story... can you tell another?" The Dalmatian asked hopefully.

"Sure." Ryder smiled, he rolled his eyes up, and placed his fingers to his chin in thought. "Oh, I got one! Anyone know how we found out about Chase's allergies?" There were lots of 'no's' and head-shaking amongst the group. Chase just grinned; knowing he was about to explain. "Well it all started at Katie's pet parlor..."

_"Come on in, Ryder!" Katie called, seeing them pull up._

_"Hi Katie!" Chase greeted happily._

_"Hey Chase!" Katie replied just as cheerily. "Ready for your bath?"_

_"You bet!" The pup barked, excitedly bounding over to the line of tubs. Ryder stood there smiling humorously at his silly pup, when a soft purr and a rubbing on his leg drew his attention down to a little kitten at his feet._

_"Aww, who's this little one?" Ryder asked, kneeling down to pet the little kitten._

_"Oh, that's Cali. She's my new kitten." Katie responded. Little Cali turned and ran around a bit, before screeching to a halt and stared. Chase stood there staring at her as well, he sniffed the air; unable to bring himself to step forward. His nose took on a tingly feeling and it progressed into a big sneeze!_

_"Ah- ah- achoo!" The pup sneezed so hard, he was propelled off the ground a little. "Achoo! Achoo! AcHOO!!" That last sneeze scared Cali and she leapt up onto Katie's back clinging to her shirt desperately. Ryder ran up and picked Chase up; the pup rubbing his nose._

_"That was weird." Ryder said, exchanging a curious glance with Katie; who nodded in agreement._

_XXXX_

_"He doesn't have a fever. And he seems fine now." Katie reported, after inspecting the thermometer._

_"So what happened?" Ryder asked, still confused._

_"I'm not sure." Katie confessed simply. "But it did seem to start when he got near Cali." A thought came to mind when she said this._

_"You don't think Chase could be... allergic to her.. do you?" Ryder inquired._

_"He could be." Katie mused, pondering this thought. "We can have him tested for you if you want. Maybe can find out if he's allergic to anything else."_

_"Sure, why not. I kind would like to know for sure." Ryder thought looking at Chase._

_"Ok." The pup smiled, wagging his tail._

_XXXX_

_"Ready to hear the results?" Katie asked, holding the file up in front of her. Ryder and Chase nodded. With that, she opened the large envelope; and began to read. "It looks like Chase **is**, in fact, allergic to kittens." She began._

_"Good to know." Ryder nodded._

_"He's also allergic to dust, feathers and pollen." Katie recited off the page. "All things that wont hurt him. They'll just make him a bit sneezy. And there's no food allergies here, so that's good."_

_"Phew, that's a relief." Ryder sighed, brushing a hand over his brow. "Well, now we know what things to try and avoid." He said, hugging Chase close on his lap._

_"Yep, all things that are easy to deal with." Katie smiled. "So I guess this means you'll have to be a little careful around Cali, Chase." She said, bracing her hands to her knees to lower herself, to be eye level with the German Shepard._

_"Ok, I'll try." Chase nodded. "I promise!" He put a paw up, almost like a salute, to further reinforce his answer..._

Everyone shared a long hearty laugh as the memory.

"Haha, I guess Cali was a big help after all." Rocky giggled.

"We probably would have found out sooner or later." Ryder shrugged.

"Doesn't matter anyway." Chase shrugged as well. "We can't change anything. I'll always be allergic to kittens."

"And there's nothing wrong with that." Marshall grinned, elbowing Chase playfully. "But if you think about it, your kitten allergies have made it easier to catch Mayor Humdinger causing trouble."

"What do you mean?" Chase asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Remember the mayor's race?" The Dalmatian recalled. "Your nose knew there was trouble before we did. And it helped us stop him in time for Mayor Goodway to win the mayor's race; fairly."

"You did also help us solve the mystery of the messy town square, the day of the spotless town competition." Ryder remembered.

"Dude, you sniffed out twrouble when Mayowr Humdingewr decided to sabotage ouwr chili so he could win the big chili cook-off." Zuma recollected, half distasteful of the situation.

"Yeah! Your tracking skills have really been a big help on our rescues." Rocky vocalized happily. "Even your allergies have been helpful."

"Yeah! Like the time Marshall's little goose pal, Fuzzy, went missing." Skye pointed out.

"Or the kitten we rescued from the Bay!" Rubble squeaked.

"And you've always had to hunt down Chickaletta from time to time." Rocky recalled. "Your sniffer can find almost anything!"

"I guess you're right." Chase admitted thoughtfully.

"Dude! What about the time you busted Humdingewr and his kitties fowr messing up the cawrnival?" Zuma added.

_XXXX_

The next few days were just like this... they would all gather together to tell stories. Chase would reluctantly be resting; but the stories, he realized, helped distract him... for a little while anyway.

"So Wryder. What kinda stories do you got to tell today?" Zuma asked excitedly, as they gathered together again one evening.

"Well Chase and I were headed to the beach by the Bay." Ryder began slowly. "When we heard a crash..."

**What is up everybody!! B) So this chapter, and the next few like it, will mainly be all about telling stories. And so I hope you enjoy the creativity that went into these. I am extremely excited about them. And I can't wait hear your thoughts on all the content involved here!! So til next time; enjoy!! Thx!!!**


	10. The Legend Of PAW

Chapter ten: The Legend Of PAW

_Ryder and the young German Shepard accompanying him looked this way and that; each looking the opposite direction of the other, and vice versa._

_"What was that noise?" Chase asked, looking to the boy for an explanation._

_"I don't know." Ryder shrugged. "But I guess whatever it was is gone now." Chase was about to tell Ryder to head on towards the beach, but then something caught his nose and he couldn't ignore it._

_"I smell something!" The pup stated, hopping down out of the front basket; sniffing the air.. and then the ground._

_"Hey!- Chase wait up!!" Ryder cried, scrambling off his ATV, plucking his helmet off, and hurrying after the German Shepard pup. Chase didn't even let up, his nose pulled him on along the invisible trail. Ryder caught up to him easily, as he peered around a corner. It was a dark alley, only a couple garbage cans resided within it. A couple of them were on their side, it's contents spilled out all over the floor. Chase couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness that came over him, when gazing into the alley._

_"What is it Chase?" Ryder asked, noticing the pup's unusual behavior. The German Shepard gulped and edged forward, the scent he'd picked up leading in there._

_"The scent's getting stronger." Chase gasped. "Ah!" The pup jumped as an upside-down garbage can fell over, Ryder and Chase were taken aback by what they found beneath it. The can fell away to reveal a small white pup with puffs of smoke for spots. His coat was not really white anymore; due to the matting of his fur and the garbage that he'd been drowned in, and a banana peel hung over his ear on his head. The strange pup shook the dizziness from his head, and sighed; dropping his gaze sadly. The Dalmatian looked to his right to meet Chase's gaze, and sprang back in surprise._

_"Wh- who are you?" The pup stammered, his blue eyes flashing with a bit of fear._

_"My name is Chase." The German Shepard replied softly. "What's yours?"_

_"M..m..Marshall?" The pup responded shakily._

_"Nice to meet you Marshall." Chase beamed. "Don't be afraid, we won't hurt you. Where are you from?"_

_"Um.. I..I'm not sure." The frightened Dalmatian stammered. "But I don't wanna go back!!"_

_"Why not?" Chase asked in surprise._

_"I.. I don't like the shelter." Marshall sighed, his ears drooping against his head. "It's dark, and cold, and no fun at all."_

_"Shelter?" Ryder said._

_"There you are Marshall!" And voice called, everyone looked as a boy with dusty blonde hair raced up to them, picking up the Dalmatian. "We've been looking for you, little buddy." Marshall rolled his eyes and rested his chin in his paws sadly._

_"I'm sorry, who are you?" Ryder asked politely._

_"Are you Marshall's owner?" Chase wondered innocently._

_"I'm Matthew. And no I'm not his owner. I look after him at the local shelter. He some how got out and ran away." The young man said._

_"Why doesn't he like it there?" Ryder asked. "You seem like a nice guy."_

_"I am. And everyone else is too." Matthew said. "He's just been wanting a home that isn't at the shelter."_

_"Why hasn't he gotten a home by now?" Chase asked._

_"Not sure." Matthew sighed, looking at the disappointed pup. "We think it might be because he's a bit clumsy; but we can't be sure."_

_"So what's gonna happen to him now?" Chase questioned further._

_"Well he'll just go back to the shelter and we'll keep trying to get him adopted." Matthew said. He turned to leave then turned back again. "Thanks for finding him." He smiled._

_"No problem." Ryder grinned back, waving a hand. With that Matthew continued on back the way he'd come. Chase caught Marshall's glance as they walked away; and held it til he was out of sight. Chase walked around the corner onto the sidewalk to watch them some more. He sat down to watch as they shrunk smaller and smaller, and got further and further away._

_"Come on, Chase." Ryder said, jerking the pup's attention away from them._

_"Uh-..huh?" The pup turned around._

_"You still wanna go to the beach, right?" The boy asked._

_"Yeah..uh-.." He glanced back, as Matthew and Marshall finally disappeared around a corner. Sighing he stood up and turned to leave. "I guess." He said leading the way back to Ryder's ATV._

_Chase drew at the sand with his paw; his other one braced against his left cheek holding his head up, as he lay on the warm sand._

_"Ryder?" The pup said, shifting himself up to gaze back at the boy laying on a sun chair behind him. "Do you think Marshall will be ok back at the shelter?" He asked, a hint of uncertainty betraying the intended curious tone of his question._

_"I think so Chase." Ryder replied, looking up from his comic book._

_"Do you think he'll ever find a loving home?" The German Shepard wondered, turning to sit down; facing him. Ryder sat up and put the book down at his side._

_"I'm sure he will." Ryder reassured him. Chase's eyes slowly made their way to the floor, his head slightly cocked; his corresponding ear sagging with it. "What's wrong, Chase." The boy asked, seeing the concern his pup felt._

_"Well.. I guess I feel bad for Marshall. I can't imagine living somewhere you didn't like to be." The pup admitted._

_"If it makes you feel better we can stop in to see him on our way back home." Ryder told him._

_"Really?!" Chase said, perking up at this._

_"Sure, why not?" Ryder shrugged, grinning._

_"Oh, thank you Ryder!!" The German Shepard cried, launching himself over to Ryder. He thrust his paws up on the boy's chest to lick his face vigorously, his tail wagging violently with excitement. Ryder just laughed and hugged his pup close; giving him a gentle scratch behind the ear._

_XXXX_

_"Marshall!!" Chase called bursting into the room. The Dalmatian looked up when he heard his name._

_"Chase? What are you doing here?!" He gasped._

_"I came to visit you, Marshall! I was hoping I could cheer you up." The German Shepard told him happily._

_"But- why would you wanna do that for **me**?" The Dalmatian responded taken aback by this claim._

_"Well-.. cause your my friend." Chase answered innocently._

_"But- you barely even know me?" Marshall pointed out, still confused._

_"I know. But-.. you looked like you needed a friend when we met." Chase told him. "I know what's it's like to not have any friends." The German Shepard went on. "It's awful!" Marshall's sad look dropped again. "But then I met Ryder." Chase said, pointing over his shoulder. The boy stood there outside the door, smiling and waving at him. "And I've felt better ever since." Chase continued. "I guess what I'm saying is that-... everyone deserves at least one friend in the world." Chase held out a paw to Marshall. The pup hesitated, before taking the paw offered to him. Chase couldn't contain himself, and leapt in to hug Marshall's neck. At first Marshall was tense, but a second later a warm fuzzy feeling came upon him; and he found himself hugging Chase back, maybe even tighter than the happy German Shepard. When they broke apart, Marshall realized that he'd been crying a bit, and brushed away the few tears that had gathered in his ocean blue eyes._

_"Thank you... for being there for me." Marshall told Chase; sniffling._

_"No problem." Chase beamed. "So what'do wanna do?" The pup crouched down in a playful stance, ready to go._

_XXXX_

_"I, Sir Chase, appoint you,.. Marshall the Magnificent, as my newest royal guard." Chase declared, pointing down to the Dalmatian from the mini indoor playset._

_"I live to serve, your greatness." Marshall smiled, bowing low._

_"Rise! Fellow pup; a knight in shining armor!" Chase announced regally. His cape flipping over his other side. Marshall straightened up to grin up at Chase._

_"Oh no!!" Chase cried. "A dragon is attacking the kingdom!" The pup pointing to a pillow with a scary face on paper taped to it. "We must attack and stop it at once!" Chase finished. "Hasaw!!" He slid down the slide standing up and sprinted toward the pillow, Marshall at his side. The two let out a brave battle cry, as they leapt onto the pillow together. They wrestled with it until it lay flat on the floor._

_"Let that be your lesson, Dragon!" Chase bellowed standing on top of the pillow, gazing down at it bravely. "This kingdom has no place for a bad dragon like you!"_

_"Yeah, and you won't destroy this land, because royal guards Marshall and Chase are on the case!" Marshall barked._

_"Hey, that's a good line!" Chase complimented._

_"And it matches your name!" Marshall realized._

_"Cool! Chase is on the Case!" The German Shepard exclaimed._

_"And when you're not, I am." Marshall beamed, and the two burst out laughing._

_"Ok pups, time to go." Ryder said._

_"Aww!" Chase groaned._

_"Go? Go where?" Marshall asked in confusion; realizing that Ryder was, in fact, talking to **both** of them._

_"Home; back to the Lookout." Ryder replied._

_"Huh?" Marshall was still confused. Chase gasped._

_"No way!" He breathed._

_"What?!" Marshall questioned._

_"I've been watching you and Chase play together, and it got me thinking." Ryder ventured. "I know you've been struggling to find a home, but the way I see you don't have anything to worry about. Besides, it would be nice for Chase to have someone to play with sometimes..."_

_"You mean?!..." Marshall trailed off hopefully._

_"You get to come home with us Marshall!!" Chase blurted out; excitedly._

_"Really?! Yay!!" The Dalmatian jumped into Ryder's arms licking his face. Ryder laughed, and setting him down, Chase wrapped his paws around the pup's neck. Marshall grasped his new friend's paw with his own, unable to contain the smiling on his face..._

_**Here's the next chapter everybody!! Hope you enjoy!!! This was probably one of the funnest chapters to write for me. Cause of he playtime and overall interactions between Chase and Marshall here. Can't wait to see what you guys think! So... until next time! Thx!!!**_


	11. Beginnings

Chapter eleven: Beginnings

_"Congratulations Marshall." Matthew grinned. "We're all soo happy for you."_

_"Thanks Matthew." Marshall obliged._

_"Looks like you finally get one of these." Matthew knelt down to secure a bright yellow collar around the pup's neck._

_"Really? My own collar! Cool! Thanks Matthew!!" Marshall exclaimed going in for a hug from his, now, former caretaker._

_"So what'do say we head to your new home." Ryder suggested finally._

_"You bet!" Marshall barked._

_"Come on." Chase called. "Race ya!" And the two pups sprinted out the door..._

The team couldn't help but laugh at the memory.

"So that's how you met Marshall." Rubble stated.

"Yep. And Chase was the reason he's here now." Ryder said, gesturing to their blue police pup.

"Well I just felt bad for Marshall and wanted to be his friend." Chase stated bashfully. Marshall just hugged his friend; as a 'thank you' once more.

"So now we know how you got Chase, and how you met Marshall. Who did you find next?" Rocky asked.

"Well.. Skye." Ryder said, waving a hand toward her. The pup perked up at the mention of her name; as Ryder began his tale...

_"Chase? Chase!" Ryder called._

_"Chase!!" Marshall yelled, putting a paw to his face; half hoping to make his a little louder. "Where is he?"_

_"He said he got lost around here?" Ryder shrugged._

_"If only we had his megaphone here. We could call him to us." Marshall thought out loud._

_"Hm, that's it Marshall!" Ryder exclaimed. He took out his new invention, the Pup-pad and swiped to Chase's star icon. "Chase! Use your new megaphone to call out to us."_

_"Great idea, Ryder!!" Chase responded excitedly. "Ruff! Megaphone! Ryder? Marshall?"_

_"I hear you, Chase." Ryder smiled._

_"Loud and clear." Marshall giggled._

_"Keep going." Ryder continued. "We'll follow the sound right to you."_

_"Ok, but what'do I say?" The German Shepard asked._

_"Anything." Ryder shrugged following Chase's voice. "Maybe you can tell us how you got list out here."_

_"Ok, um, well I was coming back from Jake's Mountain like you asked me to, and I must have taken the wrong road and got turned around." Chase explained slowly. "I guess I shouldn't have wandered away from my truck, because I kinda got a little stuck."_

_"I can still hear you Chase." Ryder said. "But it sounds like we're really close."_

_"It's like we're right on top of him." Marshall remarked._

_"Cause you are!" A voice from above called. Looking up, they were both shocked to see.. a flying pup?!_

_"Oh sorry. Did I scare you?" The Cockapoo continued. The pup had on a pair of makeshift glider wings, which sufficed to keep her airborne on the gentle breeze._

_"A little yes." Ryder admitted. "But- how do you know where Chase is?"_

_"Cause I'm looking right at him.." The strange pup replied kindly. "..well sort of. He's right behind you. I've kinda got a bird's eye view up here." Ryder and Marshall turned and strode forward a little to look down; and find Chase hanging off a rock wall by his collar._

_"*gasp* Chase!!" Marshall cried._

_"Heh heh. Uh..hi Ryder." Chase greeted awkwardly._

_"How did you get down there?!" Ryder asked, more surprised by this than anything._

_"Well..." Chase trailed off, dropping his gaze to his left._

_"Tell me about it later." Ryder decided. "Right now let's get you out of there."_

_"But how **will** we get him out, Ryder?" Marshall wondered worriedly._

_"I'm not sure yet." Ryder admitted. "If we could at least get the harness out to him, he could release his collar from the branch and swing down to the wall below us so we could pull him up."_

_"Hm." The new pup thought. "Hey, what if I took it over to him?" She said. "My glider wings should get me to that ledge over there." The cockapoo pointed. "Then I could get the harness to him and release his collar from the branch; so you can pull him up again."_

_"I guess that could work, but then you'd be stuck too." Ryder thought._

_"I should be able to glide back." The pup responded. "The wind seems just gusty enough for that. But it could change at any moment! So we'd better hurry if we're gonna try it."_

_"Ok, it's the best plan we've got so far." Ryder decided. He handed the Cockapoo the waistband harness, the pup taking it into her mouth. Turning toward the hole, she leapt into the wind; gliding smoothly across._

_"Made it!" She called triumphantly. Ryder cheered and Marshall howled excitedly. "Ok Chase, here comes the harness." The pup lowered it down, and was able to maneuver it just right to close around Chase's mid-section perfectly._

_"Got it!" Chase yelled, putting a paw up._

_"Great!" Ryder smiled, throwing a 'thumbs up' into the air. "Now, when we release your collar from the branch, you'll have to catch yourself on the wall so we can pull you back up."_

_"Um, ok." Chase shrugged, a sudden jerk making him jump slightly._

_"Ready?" The Cockapoo asked through the rope in her mouth._

_"I think so,..." Chase sighed. "Yes." The pup yanked the rope, and Chase's collar came loose. The German Shepard dropped down, and had no problems stopping himself on the wall. Ryder and Marshall pulled him up together, while the Cockapoo glided back over to them. Chase caught a grip on the top of the wall and pulled himself above the surface. Ryder grabbed the harness at the buckle and helped him up._

_"Yay! We did it!" The cockpoo cheered, backflipping excitedly._

_"Chase!" Marshall cried, jumping onto his friend to hug him; licking his cheek happily. Chase smiled thankfully, closing one eye and leaning awkwardly in response to Marshall's tongue._

_"So what happened, Chase?" Ryder asked, kneeling down to scratch his pup's head._

_"Well when I got lost I tried to remember how I'd gotten there; and then I thought I heard an animal cry for help. So I followed the sound and sniffed out a trail, when I found a bunny way up there." The pup pointed to the top of the rocks. "I climbed up the ledges over there like they were stairs to get to it, but it somehow got down on its own. Then one of the ledges I was standing on broke and slid down there where I got stuck."_

_"Well, you're safe now..." Ryder shrugged. "I guess that's all that matters."_

_"And we have this new pup to thank for it." Marshall said, gesturing to the Cockapoo._

_"So.. what was your name again?" Ryder asked the pup._

_"Um..." The pup paused, as if searching for the right words to say. "Well, I don't really have a name. The man that takes care of me, calls me Glider. He lives in a cabin near Jake's Mountain."_

_"Wait, you know of Jake's Mountain?" Marshall asked, raising a surprised eyebrow._

_"Does that mean you know Jake?" Chase followed up._

_"Well I know **of** it, but no I don't know anyone named Jake." The pup said._

_"Hm..." Marshall mused. "Glider doesn't seem to sound right?" The Dalmatian fell silent for a seemingly long time. "You like to fly and you live up high... oh! What about Skye!!" The Dalmatian exclaimed, excited by the name._

_"Yeah! Skye is the perfect name for you!" Chase concurred, happily wagging his tail._

_"Aww thank you!" The Cockapoo smiled. She stood up on her back paws to hug Chase, given how much smaller she was compared to him, and give him a lick on the cheek. At first, Chase was surprised, but then acquired a warm fuzzy feeling deep inside him and couldn't resist the sweetness of this gesture._

_"Gosh, so since you don't actually have a home. Where do you go?" Marshall asked._

_"I just stay outside the old man's cabin." The pup replied. "He let's me stay there til I find my own place to call home. I have a pup house and everything."_

_"Well you're a pretty talented flyer, Skye." Ryder said. "Would you mind coming to live us? We could use an aviator pup like you on our team for our rescues."_

_"Really?! That would be awesome!!" The Cockapoo couldn't stop herself from doing an excited backflip._

_"Then let's go talk to the man who takes care of you." Ryder suggested._

_"Sure thing, I'll lead you to him." Skye said._

_"Lead the way!" Ryder smiled. And they all raced back to their vehicles to follow Skye..._

**Origin stories are so fun!!! I hope these stories are just as fun to read as they were to write! Leave a comment on which pup intro you liked the best! I would _really _love to here which one you find the most interesting of course there are only two more pups left after Skye(Rubble doesn't count because we know how he joins the PAW Patrol;)). Can't wait to see what you think and until next time!! Thx!!!**


	12. Building Friendships

Chapter twelve: Building Friendships

"After we talked to Mr. Buckley, he was very glad to let me go." Skye stated. "He knew how much I would love living with Ryder, Chase, and Marshall."

"So he just.. let you leave him?" Rocky asked.

"That's sad." Rubble sighed.

"It's ok." She reassured them. "Mr. Buckley wanted that for me. He knew that there was someone out there that could give me more love and care than he could. And he was right. I do still go to see him from time to time, though. He loves it when I stop by."

"Oh, well in that case... cool." Rocky said, the pups all perking up again.

"Mr. Buckley _was_ sad to see me go. But he was glad that I had found a place where my love of flying could be put to good use." Skye smiled, reminiscing fondly.

"Well we sure are glad we met you when we did." Ryder stated.

"Yeah! Otherwise I was would've hung there for, like, ever!" Chase exaggerated humorously.

"Mm, I don't think so." Marshall corrected his friend with a grin. "I'm sure we would've rescued you eventually." The Dalmatian smirked nudging his friend playfully; to which the German Shepard pushed back just as a playfully.

"Skye may have been there right when we needed her, but it didn't take long for Rocky to prove that he belonged on the team." Ryder said, beginning another story...

_"Hurry Chase!" Marshall called, bounding off way ahead of the German Shepard._

_"*winded gasp* Marshall!.. Where are we going?!" Chase breathed, trying desperately to catch up with the Dalmatian._

_"Mr. Porter has a new meatball recipe for us to try." Skye called over her shoulder. "And we wanna be the first to try it out!"_

_"Yeah!" Marshall gasped; getting a bit winded by now too. The two excited pups howled and ran faster. Chase's excitement grew with theirs and he found the strength to press on. Marshall's heart leaped suddenly as Mr. Porter's restaurant finally came into view. The clumsy Dalmatian became so ecstatic that he fumbled a bit and rolled the rest of the way to the restaurant. Marshall landed flat on his stomach, when he finally stopped rolling._

_"Marshall!!- Are you- ok?" Chase breathed, still huffing and puffing to catch his breath._

_"Yep. I'm good." Marshall responded a bit painfully, as he stood up to shake off the dizziness._

_"Well hello pups, here to try my new meatball recipe?" Mr. Porter asked, exiting his restaurant with a plate of the food in which he spoke of. "I think this is the best one yet." He finished, placing the plate down with one meatball for each pup._

_"Thanks- Mr. Porter." Chase breathed, his breaths a bit more improved now._

_"You pups look thirsty, I'll go get you some water." Mr. Porter observed, heading back into the kitchen. The three pups gathered around the plate, the steam smoothly rising off the meatballs carried their sweet and savory aroma to their noses._

_"You don't have to be a tracking pup to know that that smells awesome!" Marshall remarked, exchanging glances with his two friends. The three pups burst out laughing, as Mr. Porter returned with a bowl of water for each of them._

_"Well, what do think of them?" Mr. Porter asked, returning to his full height once more. The pups took a bite and couldn't believe their taste buds._

_"Wow! That's amazing!" Marshall raved, gobbling up to last of his._

_"Yummy!!" Skye gushed taking her last bite. Chase gulped the last of his down and licked his lips._

_"That was really good Mr. Porter." He critiqued, his tail wagging with undying pleasure._

_"Can we have another?" Marshall asked hopefully, his tail wagging perkily._

_"Thank you pups." Mr. Porter beamed. "And I suppose you can. How about I package them up for you to take home with you."_

_"Cool!!" The three pups exclaimed together all giving an enthusiastic hop. Skye somehow managed to hop the highest, despite being the smallest. Marshall glanced to his right and noticed something strange._

_"Um, Mr. Porter? What happened to your chair?" The Dalmatian asked curiously._

_"Oh one of the legs broke. But that new pup fixed it. Rocky, I think his name was." The restaurant owner replied, as he took the dishes back inside._

_"New pup?" Skye echoed, shooting her friends a curious look._

_"Yeah, he's been hanging around here for the last couple of weeks." Mr. Porter confirmed, bringing out a little bag with him. "It was the strangest thing. He just showed up out of the blue, fixed my chair's leg after my own plan to fix it failed, and was suddenly gone again."_

_"Wow, really?" Marshall thought loud, feeling impressed._

_"Did you say, Rocky?" Katie asked, overhearing the conversation as she approached. "I saw a little grey pup over at the park fixing one of the benches the other day, using some old pieces of wood. And he painted every one, then left a sign for wet paint and disappeared again. He must've returned later because the sign was eventually taken down."_

_"Woah." Chase breathed._

_"Any idea where he came from?" Marshall asked._

_"No one knows." Mr. Porter shrugged. "He just seemed to show up and has been wandering the streets of Adventure Bay ever since. But he seems to have already made friends here."_

_"How do you mean?" The Cockapoo in pink asked curiously._

_"He's come around my store asking about the best places to find old things. And has even asked for things that I would usually throw away, but somehow he finds a use for it." Mr. Porter's tone indicated how surprised he **still** was._

_"Hm." Chase thought to himself, his investigator mind beginning to wonder._

_"Is he friendly?" Marshall wondered._

_"Oh yes." The restaurant owner smiled. "And very respectful too."_

_"I've heard he's a nice pup." Katie agreed. "But I've never **actually** met him face to face."_

_"You mean nose to face." Marshall joked, earning him a long hardy laugh. Chase shook his head and rolled his eyes humorously._

_"You'll take any opportunity to joke around, won't you." He told the Dalmatian amusingly._

_"Yup." Marshall grinned._

_"Well, we should be heading back to the Lookout now." Skye said finally. "Ryder will be wondering where we are."_

_"Ok." Mr. Porter smiled. "Here's your meatballs. Enjoy!" He waved goodbye, as the pups returned their goodbyes and bounded off toward home._

_"Come on pups!" Chase called racing ahead of them this time. "Let's take another way home!"_

_"Chase where are you going?" Marshall asked, chasing after him._

_"Taking another way home." The German Shepard repeated, peeking over his shoulder. "Come on!"_

_XXXX_

_Chase trotted down the sidewalk one afternoon, with no particular destination in mind. He suddenly stopped and froze at an interesting sight. A small statue of an angel lay on its side, the base of it shattered._

_"Huh." The pup mused, then continued on his way._

_XXXX_

_He passed by again a while later and he was shocked to see the same statue standing upright again!_

_"Woah." The pup gasped. Studying it closer, he realized that it was an old hub cap. Three holes had been drilled into it and the statue had been screwed to it with metal braces. The new base was clearly spray painted and there was a sign that said 'wet' near it. Chase looked up just in time to see a little grey tail end darting around a corner. He chased after it, but when he reached the corner nothing was there?!_

_XXXX_

_The fresh air of the farm filled Marshall's nostrils, and he sighed with pleasure._

_"Hi Farmer Yumi!" The Dalmatian greeted brightly._

_"Good morning Marshall!" The farmer replied happily. "Isn't it a lovely day?"_

_"You bet!" The pup giggled, pleasure-fully. "The sun makes it nice and warm today." He looked about the farm knowingly, soaking in the sights and smells of the farm; and indulging in every bit of it. It was only until he noticed something, that his joy was turned to confusion._

_"Um, Farmer Yumi..." Marshall began slowly. "What happened to your barn?"_

_"I'm not sure?" The farmer realized, inspecting the newly placed boards covering a hole in the wall against the ground. "Could be mice or beavers that had nibbled their way into the barn, but it looks like someone must have fixed it already."_

_"Wouldn't that be you?" The Dalmatian asked, raising an eyebrow._

_"I didn't do it." Farmer Yumi shrugged. Movement caught Marshall's eye and he caught a glimpse of a strange grey figure diving away from view around the silo._

_"Hmm." He thought suspiciously..._

**How's it going everybody!! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter!! Just a couple more stories before the end. Not sure how I'm gonna end it yet or how many more chapters it'll take. But I can't wait to get started. Thx!!**


	13. New Friend?

Chapter thirteen: New Friend?

_Skye bounded across the boardwalk, when she noticed something that stopped her in her tracks._

_"Woah." She breathed. "Capt'n Turbot!" She called, racing up to the sailor aboard his ship; the Flounder. "What's up with you're weather sock?" The Cockapoo asked, pointing to it flapping in the wind above them. The Capt'n followed her gaze briefly._

_"Oh that." He chuckled. "My silly sock came loose and sailed out over the sea. Thankfully that thoughtful pup, Rocky, brought it back to my boat."_

_"Oh." Skye gazed off to her right watching a grey pup bounding away up main street away from her. "Hm." She thought._

_XXXX_

_Chase finally returned to the Lookout, his head hung a bit in thought._

_"What's wrong Chase?" Marshall's voice made the pup nearly jump out of his skin._

_"Oh, Marshall. Don't do that, you nearly gave me a heart attack." The German Shepard breathed, placing a paw to his chest._

_"Sorry." The Dalmatian apologized awkwardly. "Are you ok?"_

_"Yeah, I guess so." Chase replied, still seeming distracted. "But I think saw that new pup Mr. Porter and Katie told us about."_

_"Really?! Is he nice?" Marshall asked quickly, feeling excited now._

_"Not sure, didn't the a chance to talk to him." Chase returned. "I think he fixed a broken statue in someone's yard, and then ran off before I could talk to him."_

_"You know, come to think of it.." Marshall ventured slowly. "I think I saw him too."_

_"You did?" Chase raising, an eye brow._

_"Yeah; at Farmer Yumi's." Marshall confirmed. "He fixed a hole in her barn wall and took off. I barely caught a glimpse of him."_

_"Did you pups see that new pup too?" The two pups turned toward the third voice to find Skye bounding up the driveway toward them._

_"Yeah, why, did you?" Chase asked, turning toward her with Marshall._

_"I think so." The Cockapoo breathed. "It's kinda weird how he fixes things and then runs off like that."_

_"Yeah... it is." Chase mused, suspicion growing with every second; indicated by his face._

_"You think we should do something?" Marshall asked, studying Chase thoughtfully._

_"Not-.. exactly." The German Shepard responded, glancing at his two friends. "I just wanna know where he came from, and why he keeps running away from us."_

_"You don't think he's up to no good, do you?" Skye asked, a bit worried._

_"Don't worry Skye." Chase told her bravely. "I don't think he's up to anything; other than to help people. Which is exactly why I want to know why he hides so much." Chase took off back down the driveway. Marshall and Skye glancing at each other in confusion._

_"Chase wait up!" Marshall cried, as they both sprinted after him._

_XXXX_

_Chase screeched to a halt next to the restored statue, he sniffed around it hoping to catch the scent. Marshall and Skye panted as they finally caught up to him._

_"-Chase?" Marshall breathed, attempting to recover the breath he'd lost from the run. "What are- you doing?"_

_"Yes! Got it!" Chase cried, seeming to take no notice of his fellow pups. "Come on, pups, Rocky went this way!" Chase raced down the invisible trail and the other pups soon followed._

_XXXX_

_Chase poked his nose around another corner, his eyes sharp as he searched the area they were about to enter in to. Slipping out onto the sidewalk, he dropped his nose to the ground searching for the scent again; Skye and Marshall not far behind._

_"I've still got the scent, and it's getting stronger. That means we're close." The German Shepard reported._

_"Are you sure this is a good idea, Chase." Skye asked, nervousness in her tone._

_"Don't worry, Skye. If you're **that** scared, I'll protect you." Chase told her, leaning his head back to peer at her for a moment; his tone matter-of-fact. Marshall gulped then straightened up with a brave face, plucking up the courage to keep going. Skye shrunk slightly, then hearing the slightest noise raced up to bump right into Chase. The police pup turned to the worried pup, half smiling; and hoping she wouldn't see. He slowly proceeded, with the Cockapoo snugly pressed up against him, sniffing away at the trail. Chase didn't even hesitate this time when he followed the trail around, yet, another corner into a dark alley. As soon as they did though Chase stopped; as did his friends. The three of the standing there, mouths agape at the site._

_"Cool! An old hanger! This'll come in handy some day!" A grey pup gushed, after dragging the item up to the top of the pile he was standing on. The pup looked up to find three sets of shocked eyes watching him and jumped._

_"Rocky wait! Don't go." Chase cried, when the pup turned to run. The mixed breed pup froze, and turned around again._

_"H-how do you know my name?" The pup asked nervously._

_"Half the town knows it." Chase responded, taking a couple cautious steps forward; leaving his friends where they stood._

_"They do, huh?" The pup shrunk down sadly; his ears slumping with his downcast glance._

_"Yeah, But what I want to know, is why you run and hide so much?" Chase questioned, his eyes gentle yet curious. The grey pup managed to look Chase in the eye and see his earnest and innocent intentions by this question. The pup sat down to scratch the back of his ear, and sighed._

_"I like to be helpful, but I don't like to stick around afterwards." The pup began. "The last time I tried to openly do something nice for someone, they got mad and hurt me." A gasp erupted from the three pups, Chase's heart receiving a stab of pain and regret in asking._

_"I'm sorry, I-"_

_"It's ok." Rocky told Chase, cutting the police pup's apology short. "You didn't know."_

_"But-.. if you were hurt. Why do you look fine now?" Skye asked._

_"Because that was a long time ago." The mixed breed returned. "I left my hometown and finally ended up here a few weeks ago. I stayed only because people have been kinda nice to me here. But I don't stick around for very long, being out in the open makes me feel a bit-... vulnerable." Chase's heart broke for this pup, his heart going out to him; Marshall and Skye's too._

_"Well-.. you have quite a talent for fixing things." Chase ventured thoughtfully, strolling slowly closer. "Maybe you could help us."_

_"Help you?" Rocky echoed. "How?"_

_"Chase, what are you doing?" Skye murmured to him._

_"I think Ryder would be happy to help you." Chase went on slowly. "Your skills would be great for the PAW Patrol. You could come with us to see him." Marshall and Skye looked at each other nervously._

_"Really?" The grey pup wondered sliding down off the pile of trash. He momentarily stopped his approach to scratch again; this time a bit more vigorously._

_"Yeah..uh..unless you have a home you're supposed to be at." Chase replied._

_"No, I've pretty much lived on the streets my whole life." Rocky sighed._

_"Then you'll give it a try?" Chase asked hopefully._

_"Um.. sure. If it's not any trouble." Rocky shrugged finally. Chase just smiled._

_"Cool! Then come on!" Chase took off for the Lookout; Rocky, and then Marshall and Skye, right behind him._

_XXXX_

_"Ryder! Ryder!" Chase panted, as he raced up to the Lookout._

_"What's up Chase?" The boy answered, as he exited the Lookout._

_"This is Rocky." Chase said, gesturing to the mixed breed. "He's new to Adventure Bay, and I think he has a talent we could use on the PAW Patrol." Ryder looked from Chase to Rocky; his eyes tender and thoughtful, as he thought of what to say._

_"I've heard about you, Rocky." The boy began, lowering himself to one knee. "And I'm glad Chase and the pups found you. I've been struggling with an invention of mine... maybe since you're here you can help me out."_

_"Uh... well I guess I could take a look." The pup responded hesitantly. And Chase happily smiled, wagging his tail hopefully. He noticed the pup's hesitation near immediately and hoped that it would melt away soon. Due to finding what they were about to do, predictably enjoyable._

**Hey what's up guys!! Don't worry! Zuma will get his origin story! I know some of you were concerned by that. But I assure you I did not forget about our little Chocolate water pup in orange! Can't wait to hear your thoughts! Thx!!**


	14. Adjustments

Chapter fourteen: Adjustments

_"Hm." Rocky studied the piece of machinery and the loose parts around it carefully. Poking and prodding them with his paws, he thought some more with another 'hm'. "So what is this supposed to be again?" He asked, glancing up at Ryder._

_"Its a device I've been working on. It's called a pup-pack. Like what Chase has on." Ryder told him, gesturing to the pack on Chase's back._

_"Hm. Well let's see. Got any recyclables anywhere?"_

_"I have a box right here." Ryder said, stepping aside and gesturing to a box that had been hidden behind him this whole time._

_"Cool!" The grey pup bounded over to it and didn't hesitate for a moment in digging into it, to see what was inside. "Ok.." the pup sighed, pulling a couple things out and dropping them at his feet. "I think I've got it." He picked up an old grabber arm and raced back over to the device. He set the arm down next to it and cocked his head. "I don't have any tools to do this." He stated openly, after a moment._

_"No problem, I've got plenty." Ryder smiled pointing a thumb over his shoulder. He then turned and headed toward the garage, Rocky quickly hurried after him. As the grey mixed breed went by, Chase shot the other pups a pleasureful smile before following them too._

_"Ok. We can use the grabber on this grabbing stick, and this spray bottle cap to hold a screw driver on the other side." Rocky pulled the robotic arms out, and began attaching the pieces in which he spoke of. "Hm, this screw needs tightening.." the pup noted. He picked up the screwdriver next to him with his teeth, and proceeded to tighten it himself with both paws holding the pup-pack steady. He strode around to, what would be, the back of the pup-pack, and opened the rectangular-shaped hatch to expose the inner computer system within it. "Ok, now we just make a couple adjustments..." he turned a few screws using the screwdriver still in his mouth and nudged a couple wires. He, then, closed the hatch, and the arms folded into the hatches on the sides of the pup-pack. "That should do it." Rocky's finished looking up at Ryder._

_"Great! Wanna test it out?" Ryder picked up the pack and proceeded to put it on the pup._

_"Uhhmm... ok." The pup shrugged hesitantly. "So.. what do I do exactly?"_

_"Bark out any tool you want." Ryder instructed._

_"Ok, um. Ruff! Screwdriver?" At his command, the screwdriver retracted out for use._

_"Give it a go." Ryder said, setting a board up with a hole in it. He placed a screw in it and Rocky brought the screwdriver closer._

_"Ruff! Screw!" The tool drove the screw into the hole in seconds. "Cool!" Rocky squeaked. "Ruff! Drill!" The pup found himself enjoying this more and more. Chase could see his hesitation melt away into pure pleasure and joy. The mixed breed drilled a couple more holes. "Ruff! Pincer arm!" The arm craned down and picked up the remaining screws and he screwed them in place retracting all the tools away. "That was, actually kinda fun!" The grey pup gushed excitedly._

_"It's yours if you want." Ryder said, quite matter-of-factly._

_"Really?!" The pup gasped, looking at him in surprise._

_"We could really use a pup like you on our team..." Ryder explained simply. "If you want to."_

_"You mean I'll be able to fix things?" Rocky asked hopefully._

_"All the time." Ryder grinned. "What'do ya say?"_

_"Yes! Yes!! Yes!!!" The grey pup leapt into Ryder's arms to lick his face. Chase hopped forward off his haunches, to crouch down proudly. Marshall and Skye just cheered happily, the Cockapoo unable to stop herself from doing a backflip._

_"Welcome to the team, Rocky." Ryder declared, as the other pups howled triumphantly._

_"Thanks Ryder." The pup smiled. "But you're sure everyone will like me? I hvanent had a good experience with helping people." _

_"Don't worry, Rocky." Ryder encouraged, kneeling down next to the pup to place and hand on his head. "I know Adventure Bay will love you. You'll see."_

_"Well-.. in that case..." Rocky began hesitantly. "Once we paint my new pup-pack a different color, it'll be perfect! And I'm sure I can make a few **more **adjustments to make it even better!" _

_"No problem." Ryder grinned. "Marshall, let's use you paint cannons to paint Rocky's pup-pack._

_"Noo problem!" The Dalmatian bowled racing off after Ryder; followed by the rest of their howling friends..._

"After that, Ryder had me take the PAW Patrol Oath." Rocky explained, as the story ended. "And I got my new pup-tag." He looked down at the recycling symbol hanging from his collar proudly.

"The PAW Patrol became even bigger after that." Ryder stated. "But Zuma had a bit of a _rocky_ start when _he_ joined." The pups laughed at the pun, as Ryder began the story...

_"Gather 'round pups! I've got something to show ya." Ryder called, as he exited the Lookout. All four pups looked up from their game of tag to their leader and quickly bounded over to him. Chase came and sat proudly before him. The German Shepard looked at his friends and cleared his throat expectantly. The pups rolled their eyes humorously and lined up with him, remember his desire for order._

_"What's up, Ryder sir?" Chase declared formally._

_"Well, I have someone I want you to meet." Ryder grinned. He turned to the door to wave them over. The automatic doors slid aside to give way to a young Chocolate Lab pup standing there. It strode forward to sit next to Ryder respectfully; gazing up at him politely._

_"Pups..." Ryder said. "This is Zuma. And he'll be joining our team as our water rescue pup."_

_"Cool!" Rocky squeaked._

_"Nice to meet you!" Skye gushed._

_"Yay!!" Marshall cheered._

_"Welcome to the team, Zuma." Chase told him in a stately manner._

_"Thanks, dude." The Chocolate Lab smiled. Chase took on a confused look; taken aback by this reaction. "I can't wait to get stawrted on watewr wrescues. It's gonna be totally awesome!" Chase held his confused gaze._

_"Um.. yeah,.. uh.. cool." The German Shepard half mumbled to himself._

_"What's wrong, Chase?" Marshall asked, finally picking up on his friend's confusion._

_"I didn't know he was gonna talk like that." Chase whispered, covering it with a paw to his mouth._

_"Don't worry." Marshall smiled. "You'll get used to it."_

_"Yeah,.. maybe." Chase replied, dropping his gaze hesitantly._

_"So where are you from?" Skye asked, the new pup._

_"The hawrbowr, not hewre though. I was playing awround the docks back whewre I came fwrom and I fell into a cwrate of fish that was loaded onto a ship that bwrought me hewre." The Lab replied. "Had nothing bettewr to do so I went along fowr wride. Then I found Wryder."_

_"More like **I** found **you**." Ryder emphasized, with a grin._

_"Well, ok yeah, he found me." The Lab admitted, earning him a chuckle from the group._

_"Ok pups... introduce yourselves. So Zuma can start to get to know you pups." Ryder suggested._

_"Ok." The pups responded. The aviator pup stepped forward first._

_"My name is Skye." The Cockapoo smiled._

_"Hi! I'm Rocky." The grey mixed breed put in, also stepping forward._

_"Chase. Nice to meet you." Chase formally introduced himself the same way he usually did with meeting new people._

_"Cool! Nice to meet you, dude. I bet you do a lot of way cool stuff as a shewriff pup." Zuma gushed in a bubbly manner. Chase developed a quizzical look._

_"Um... I'm a police pup." Chase corrected, an odd perplexity in his tone._

_"Oh, sowrry." Zuma shrugged. "Cool." Chase stepped forward again, his face still confused; when a little white wall cut him off._

_"Don't mind him." The friendly fire pup said. "I'm Marshall." The Dalmatian extended a paw, to which Zuma took with a firm shake._

_"Well now that we have all intwroduced ouwrselves." Zuma stated finally. "I've got something I wanna show you pups, come on!" The Chocolate Lab took off for the Lookout. Chase strode forward and stopped hesitantly, as the other pups bounded after him into the door._

_"Something wrong, Chase?" Ryder asked, stepping up next to his lone pup._

_"Um... I guess not." Chase decided after a pause. Then he headed in, with Ryder right behind him._

_XXXX_

_Zuma dropped a mat onto the floor._

_"Ok, pups." He said turning to face everyone. "This.. is Pup Pup Boogie." Marshall, Rocky, and Skye marveled at the display on the screen. Zuma hopped onto the mat and glanced back at them, as Chase and Ryder strode up closer. "Ok hewre's how you play." Zuma began. "You just follow the movements on the scwreen." The icons on the big screen flashed in a specific pattern, and Zuma repeated them on the mat. Eventually be worked himself up to a decently fast pace. He finished the level and the music ended._

_"Woah!!" The three other pups marveled._

_"So.. who wants to twry it?" Zuma asked, not having to wait long for three eager volunteers. Zuma slowly started Skye on the first level._

_"You wready?" Zuma asked, looking over as her on the second mat._

_"You bet!" Skye smiled. The Lab looked back toward the other pups._

_"I don't have enough mats fowr us all to play togethewr, but you can definitely leawrn the moves while each of us plays." He told them._

_"Don't worry." Rocky told him, bounding off for a second. "I got an idea." He finished, rolling a few black rolls of material toward them. Dragging them out sit next to one another, he rolled them out flat. "I can use these sheets of rubber as practice mats." The mixed breed said. "All I need is.. Ruff! Chalk!" One of his pup-pack arms retracted out with a holster holding a piece of chalk, and he marked down the six squares of the mats. And dragged them up next to the others'._

_"You coming, Chase?" The grey pup asked, peeking over his shoulder at the German Shepard still sitting next to Ryder._

_"Uuahhh, you go ahead." Chase shrugged, motioning a paw at them. "I'll just watch."_

_"Um, ok." Rocky shrugged, a bit surprised by this, but shrugged it off as Chase being Chase._

_"Ok Skye. Let's boogie!!" Zuma barked, beginning the game with a howl. Marshall, Rocky, and Skye didn't hesitate to join him, as they began this new game._

**Hey guys, here's the next chapter!! I almost didn't get it done in time, kinda falling behind again. ;D But hopefully now I can get ahead before next week, and finish it up with a few more chapters. Can't wait to hear you thoughts!! Thx!!!**


	15. Rubber Meets The Sea?

Chapter fifteen: Rubber Meets The... Sea?

_"Yay!!" Skye yipped, managing to fit a backflip into the routine._

_"You're doing it, Skye!" Rocky squeaked._

_"Yeah, go Skye!!" Marshall cheered._

_"Wah-hoo!!" Zuma howled as the level finally neared the end. "Ready fowr this, Skye?" The pup asked, peering over at her from the corner of his eye. "And.. tail spin!!!" The two pups went up in their tails and spun until they finally crashed together in a heap; giggling all the while with the other pups joining in. Each time a pup got on to play the game, the other two pups follow the movements on Rocky's practice mats. Chase just watched from a distance, both interest and hesitation growing inside of him. Along with another emotion he couldn't quite pinpoint, until something happened that may have brought it to light._

_"That's was sooo fun!!" The Cockapoo gushed. "I love this game!!" She launched herself onto Zuma, to hug his neck tightly._

_"Yeah, this game really rocks." Rocky joked. "Heh, get it?" This joke successfully earned him laughter from Marshall, Skye, and Zuma. But Chase only received and horrible, ugly feeling that he'd, even to this day, always feared of getting. And it made both angry and sad; which was quite knowingly unusual for the pup._

_"Hey Chase, you wanna try?" Rocky called back over his shoulder to the German Shepard._

_"Nah, you guys go ahead. I'm good." Chase politely declined._

_"Aww come on, dude. It's fun." Zuma urged loosely._

_"Yeah you'd like it, Chase." Marshall added._

_"No thanks." Chase insisted gently. "I think I'll just watch for now. Maybe another time." Marshall gave him an awkward look before giving up. The pups went back to playing and were enjoying themselves immensely, as Chase and Ryder stood there watching; and jigging to the music._

_"You **sure** you don't wanna try that?" Ryder asked innocently. "Zuma really likes a to compete. I think you two would get along great."_

_"Yeah, I'm sure Ryder." Chase replied softly. "Can I go play now?"_

_"Don't you wanna get to know Zuma?" Ryder asked, raising a confused eyebrow._

_"I'm actually kinda tired." Chase sighed. "We had a lot of missions today. Is it ok if I turn in early tonight?"_

_"Chase,.. is something wrong?" Ryder asked, kneeling down to his pup. "Usually you love meeting new pups."_

_"I... I don't know. There's something about him that... bothers me." The pup admitted softly, so the other pups wouldn't hear. "He's so... different."_

_"That's ok." Ryder said, standing up again. "You just haven't gotten to know him yet. I know he's very different than you, but I'm sure once you get to know him, you'll really like each other."_

_"Ok, Ryder... I'll try... tomorrow." Chase sighed._

_"Ok then." Ryder smiled proudly. "You can go if you want to. You're such a good pup."_

_"Thanks Ryder." Chase murmured to the boy, as he slowly paused before taking off for the elevator. Ryder watched him go, before an uproar of cheers from the other pups drew his attention back to them._

_"Hahaha, that was fun." Marshall giggled, looking at his friends while still lying on his back._

_"Told ya, dude." Zuma grinned. Rocky chuckled. Then looked to where Ryder stood._

_"Hey, where's Chase?" The grey pup asked, calling attention to the empty space next to the boy._

_"Don't worry, pups." Ryder told them calmly. "Chase decided to turn in early tonight."_

_"Really? That's weird." Skye said, shooting her friends a quizzical look._

_"Is thewre a pwroblem?" Zuma asked, becoming a bit concerned._

_"No, no, it's fine." Ryder encouraged quickly, lowering himself to one knee to place a hand on the Lab's head. "He just had a long day today. That's all."_

_"Oh, ok." The pup said, attempting a reassured smile. Ryder gave him a comforting scratch, and stood up again._

_XXXX_

_"Ok, Rocky I think it's ready." Ryder said, turning to the mixed breed with a satisfying smile. Rocky perked up with a broad grin and took off excitedly for the Lookout._

_"Hey Zuma! Come here a sec!" The recycling pup in green said._

_"Um.. ok." The Choclate Lab in orange hesitantly followed the eager mixed breed, but stopped short as soon as he saw what Ryder and Rocky wanted to show him. "Woah!" A bright orange sea-style hovercraft stood before him; its paint glimmering in the sunlight. "This is mine?" The pup gasped coming closer for a better look; half wondering if he was dreaming._

_"Yep. Rocky helped me build it." Ryder said._

_"Woah! Thanks, dude!" Zuma squeaked, hugging his best friend tightly. "It looks awesome!"_

_"-no problem." The grey pup answered, his voice a bit constricted by the water pup's grip._

_"It's all ready." Ryder told him, as Zuma hopped into the driver seat. He studied the controls, as the other pups came out to join them. "Ready to test it out?"_

_"Totally!!" Zuma exclaimed eagerly._

_"Ok." Ryder decided. "Let me grab my ATV, and we'll head out."_

_"But I thought youwr wride can't go on watewr." Zuma reminded him._

_"It does now." Ryder said, adjusting his helmet as he sat down. "Come on I'll show you." The boy revved the engine and sped off, Zuma not far behind. "Just follow me!" Ryder called, he headed down the road, merging onto a ramp overlooking the water; launching him out over it. When Chase saw this, he immediately ran forward after them. In mid-air, Ryder pressed a button on his pup-pad that began the transformation into a water craft of his own! They hit the water together, creating a big splash; as they floated over the clear blue surface. Chase reached the end of ramp and nearly fell over the edge; but managed to stop himself before his paws slipped too far over the edge. Watching Ryder and Zuma get farther away, Chase could feel a sense of panic come over him and he ran back toward the Lookout. He ran so fast that the pups nearly missed him completely, as he zapped right by them and up the elevator. And, reaching the top, he raced for the window to peer out of it; hardly able to see them, he hastily pressed the button to retract the periscope down from the ceiling. Grabbing the handles with his paws intensely, he peered through it to find the two water vehicles. It didn't take long to finally spot them, but seeing them didn't seem to make him feel any better. Turning to run once more, he darted back into the elevator and headed back down. He then rushed over to stand at the edge of the cliff to find them once more; all he could see if them were two small dots floating out over the water. He stepped about a bit; as if trying to figure away to them around the giant pit of water blocking his way. But after pacing like this for a couple seconds, he sat down in defeat._

_"You ok Chase?" The pup jumped as the presence of Marshall suddenly appeared at his side._

_"Uh..." he trailed off looking at his friend blankly. "Yeah." He sighed, dropping his gaze out over the water again._

_Every day after that Ryder and Zuma went out on the water for water rescue training. And every day Chase would sit and watch them;... waiting for them to return. And when Zuma wasn't training, he was usually playing Pup Pup Boogie with Skye and the pups. They had all become quite good at the game and refused to play anything else. Nothing seemed as fun anymore,.. or at least that's how it seemed to Chase. At first The German Shepard was a bit unsure of it all, but after a while it began to change into something else._

_"Wready fowr anothewr wround pups?" Zuma asked, after grabbing some water from their bowls outside._

_"You bet!" Marshall barked._

_"Count me in!" Skye gushed._

_"Yeah!!" Rocky agreed. Chase strolled by them, looking at the ground as he walked._

_"Hey Chase, you wanna try, yet?" Marshall asked, earning the pup's gaze. "It's really fun once you get used to it."_

_"Eh..I don't know..." Chase trailed of nervously._

_"Aw come on, dude, it'll be fun!" Zuma coaxed excitedly. Chase's ears twitched back in annoyance._

_"Nah, you guys go ahead." He decided finally. "I'm good."_

_"Why not, Chase?" Skye asked, curiously raising an eyebrow at him._

_"Yeah, is thewre something wwrong with the game? Cause we can-"_

_"I said no!" Chase blurted out harshly. Zuma withdrew instantly, a hurtful sadness coming over his face. Chase immediately realized what he'd done and stiffly marched away in regret. However Rocky, Skye and Marshall saw this and looked at one another suspiciously._

_XXXX_

_"*sigh* It's hopeless." The Chocolate Lab sighed sadly; his head hanging shamefully. "Chase doesn't like me... What did I do wwrong?"_

_"Don't say that Zuma." Skye encouraged quickly, sitting next to her friend to pat his shoulder reassuringly._

_"Yeah, Ryder'll figure it out." Rocky agreed confidently._

_XXXX_

_Chase stood at a distance from the boy. His ears held back, and his gaze fixed on the floored of the Lookout's upper level; the pup refusing to meet Ryder's gaze._

_"Chase,... you've never hated a pup yet." Ryder told him earnestly. "So what is it about Zuma that rubs you the wrong way?" Chase remained silent, not daring himself to speak; for fear of loosing himself. Ryder watched his pup's ears twitch; and noticed how stalk-still he was forcing himself to be. Ryder sat down on a beanbag with a heavy sigh, gazing off out the windows across the room from them. Chase snatched a quick peek at him, feeling the nagging his chest to speak up, and the fear of what he'd say, at the same time._

_"Why does Zuma bother you so much?" Ryder asked him after a short pause. "He's only trying to be nice. He just wants to fit in." Chase still kept looking away, afraid to look the boy in the eye. "I wanna understand, Chase... Please help me understand." The boy's begging tone broke the pup's heart. And as Ryder looked off out the window once more, Chase finally made the bold decision to scooch ever so slightly closer. Ryder soon heard the pup's attempt to get closer, and watched as the he crept over to him cautiously. He sat guiltily before him, still a little afraid to fully look him in the eyes._

_"I..I'm not sure why Zuma bothers me." Chase explained earnestly. "I guess seeing him play with the other pups and run off with you all the time does."_

_"You're a little jealous?" Ryder implied._

_"I guess I am a little." Chase admitted, painfully. "I..I don't wanna be. And I definitely didn't want to do what I did to him earlier."_

_"Sounds like you need to make it up to him." Ryder suggested._

_"Yeah,... but how do I do it?" Chase asked, finally able to look up at him in despair. Ryder opened his mouth to suggest something, when his pup-pad began to ring._

**Hey guys!! Good news! I finally got a little bit caught up. I honestly did not think Zuma's story would take so long. But I think after that there'll be a couple more chapters and then the end. But we shall see! ;) ;D Anyway, enjoy this week's chapter, and I'll see you all next week! Thx!!!**


	16. Start Over

Chapter sixteen: Start Over

_"Hi Capt'n Turbot, what's up?" Ryder asked cheerfully, when he answered it._

_"Ahoy Ryder, and -heh well,.. no one!" The Capt'n cried. "Help!! Ryder, I've helplessly half-hazardly fallen head over heels overboard!! And now my beloved boat is bobbling all about the Bay!"_

_"Oh no!!" Ryder cried. "Don't worry, we're on our way! No job is too big, no pup is too small!" He pulled out the button and pressed it. "PAW Patrol, to the Lookout!!" Then he turned to Chase. "Sorry Chase, but we'll have to talk about this more later, cause we've got rescuing to do."_

_"I know... later." Chase sighed, heading to his spot in the center of the room._

_XXXX_

_The other pups soon joined them and Chase briefly caught Zuma's glance; immediately looking away, still feeling a substantial amount of guilt._

_"PAW Patrol, ready for action Ryder sir!" Chase declared, a bit flatter than usual._

_"Glad to hear it pups." Ryder said, pressing the button to lower the big screen. "Because Capt'n Turbot needs us. He's fallen overboard and the Flounder is sailing all on its own... without a driver!!" The pups gasped at this news._

_"That's a big job." Skye said. "What are we gonna do Ryder?"_

_"First we've gotta rescue Capt'n Turbot." Ryder said. "That's why..." he swiped to the right icon. "I'll need Zuma and your hovercraft to help me get the Capt'n out of the water. And then I'll need Skye to air lift him back onto the Flounder; so he can stop it."_

_"*gasp* Yay!! This pups gotta fly!!" The Cockapoo yipped, backflipping excitedly._

_"Let's dive in!!" Zuma declared willingly._

_"Alright! PAW Patrol is on a roll!" Ryder called. Chase watched as the boy slid down his pole and the two pups raced for the slide. He watched them out the window for a bit and then headed down to watch from the edge of the cliff again._

_Rocky and Marshall stood back away from Chase; watching him intently. In their minds they were still curious about his earlier outburst, and wanted even more to understand why. And by the way he stood staring out over the water, it made them even more curious about his peculiar behavior. Marshall; however, plucked up the courage to begin an approach. He'd nearly reached Chase, when he realized he didn't know what to say; so he just took a seat next to him. Several times he opened his mouth, but every time he stopped himself due to the fact that he came up with nothing to say off the top of his head._

_"I didn't want to yell at Zuma, you know." Chase spoke after awhile._

_"Then why did you?" Marshall asked cautiously._

_"I panicked." Chase sighed._

_"Why did you panic?" The Dalmatian pried, earnestly trying to understand. "You can be yourself around all of us. We're a team, remember?"_

_"*sigh* I know." The German Shepard sighed. "But- Zuma's not like anything I'm used to... maybe it's just the jealousy talking but-.. he's just so.. different."_

_"And that bothers you?" Marshall inquired, leaning forward curiously._

_"I guess it does a little.." Chase sighed again. "But the problem is I don't know why it does."_

_"Maybe it's because he's not quite as formal as you are." Marshall suggested. "He doesn't operate like the stiff society of a police force. Maybe what you should try doing, is not being so professional around him. Stop trying to earn his respect, and try to earn his first."_

_"You think it's that simple?" Chase asked, half dubious._

_"I bet it's a lot simpler than you think it is." His friend replied, placing a paw to his shoulder. Chase dropped his gaze momentarily, to lift it up and gaze out at the water thoughtfully. "Chase, when you met me you didn't hesitate to get to know me."_

_"But I've grown up since then." Chase returned with a shrug. "I'm not that pup anymore... I don't know how to be that pup anymore."_

_"Just because you've grown up and have a police pup status now, doesn't mean you don't know how to cut loose and play with your friends." Marshall reasoned._

_"True... but how do I connect with him.. if he's not like me?" The German Shepard lowered his gaze sadly; clearly feeling defeated._

_"He doesn't have to be." Marshall told him firmly; while sliding closer. "Rocky, Skye and I are totally different." Marshall pointed out. "But yet you connected with us just fine;.. and for some of us it was right away."_

_"I guess.." Chase ventured, thoughtfully looking down again._

_"I know." Marshall corrected, re-placing his paw again. "If you want to get to know him better... you have to show him a part of you he hasn't seen yet."_

_"Hm,.. maybe I'll try that." Chase decided finally, watching the two dots in the distance yet again._

_"There he is!" Ryder called pointing far out in front of them. The Capt'n swiveled atound int he water and waved at them._

_"Ahoy Ryder!!" He called._

_"Don't worry, Capt'n, we're here to help." Ryder told him, as they slowed their vehicles next to him. "Zuma, use your buoy to help Capt'n Turbot stay above water."_

_"You got it!" The Chocolate Lab replied. "Arf! Arf! Buoy!" The hatch opened and the life-preserver launched; flying right over the Capt'n landing around him perfectly._

_"Tally-tow ho ho ho!" The sailor called._

_"Great! Ok Skye, lower your harness." Ryder instructed, gazing up at the pup, as he spoke into his com._

_"I'm on my way!" The Cockapoo yipped, piloting the copter in closer._

_"Almost there..." Ryder commentated, as the Capt'n reaches for the harness. "Got it!" The harness clicked into place and Skye lifted the sailor out of the water._

_Chase watched them rescue as it seemed to be over, but the looming, out-of-control ship approaching them was soon to change that._

_"*gasp* Zuma, Ryder, lookout!!" Chase cried, as though they could hear him. He hopped forward off his haunches and his paws landed right on the edge of the cliff and slipped off. "Woah!!" The pup cried as he slid over the edge._

_"Chase!!" Marshall cried as the watched his friend get smaller and smaller. Branches along the cliff wall slowed his decent, catching him with their scratchy fingers; but didn't possess the strength to hold him and he fell right through. One last branch left a stinging scratch on his stomach, and all that was left was blue; which soon when dark, as a splash swallowed him up into its depths._

_"Chase!! Chase!!" Rocky cried desperately, having joined Marshall at the edge. Chase burst through the surface, coughing and spluttering._

_"Chase!!" Marshall cried, helplessness and distress grabbing a hold of him instantly._

_"Ryder, Chase fell off the cliff and into the bay." Rocky reported sadly._

_Ryder and Zuma had to split ways as the Flounder paved right through them; nearly capsizing their watercraft, when Ryder heard Rocky's voice call out this emergent situation._

_"Oh no! Is he ok?!" Ryder cried sadly._

_"We thinks so, but he won't be able to make it back to shore by himself." Rocky told him, both pups' eyes still glued on Chase paddling for dear life below them._

_"Ok." Ryder said. "Skye, get Capt'n Turbot back to the Flounder. Zuma, come with me, we have to rescue Chase."_

_"What?!" The Lab cried, beginning to worry as soon as he heard this. Ryder and Zuma turned their vehicles toward the Lookout and raced off for the cliff._

_Chase panted and paddled. The sting of his scratch sinking its teeth deeper and deeper into his flesh, as he continued to struggle to stay above the water's shiny surface._

_"Hold on Chase! Help'll be here soon!!" Marshall called down to him, even though he knew Chase was probably far too panicked to hear him. The two pups looked up to see Ryder and Zuma coming towards them._

_"Yes! Ryder made it!!" Marshall praised._

_Chase soon realized that his strength was finally spent and he began to sank, have a gurgling yelp as we fell under once again._

_"Zuma! Dive down at catch up to him!" Ruder called._

_"Wready, set, get wet!" The pup responded, pulling his hovercraft to a stop. "Arf! Scuba!" As soon as he pups gear retracted, he dove for the water._

_Chase was sinking like a stone, with nothing but tiny bubbles fizzling around him. Zuma took hold of the pup and jetted up to the surface as fast as his propellers could go. As they finally resurfaced, he flipped himself upside down so Chase lay across his chest._

_"That's it! Nice work Zuma." Ryder praised. Zuma watched put behind him as the directed himself toward the beach. "Skye, hows Capt'n Turbot? Is he back on the Flounder yet?"_

_The Cockapoo in pink had just set the sailor in question on the ship's deck, when she heard Ryder's voice on her pup-tag._

_"Yep, just got him back onto the deck." The pup confirmed._

_"Thanks Skye!" Capt'n Turbot called, waving up at her. "Sensational Save! But this sailer can certainly save this seafarer from serpentining strangely of the sea."_

_"Copy that! Thanks Capt'n!" Skye called back, turning her copter toward land again._

_Zuma began to drag Chase by the collar onto the warm sand, and as he hit the ground he began to cough; water spurting out as his lungs began to clear._


	17. Overcoming Barriers

**~Warning: small mentions of blood!~**

Chapter seventeen: Overcoming Barriers

_"Chase are you ok?!" Marshall cried, as he and Rocky raced up to meet them. Skye landed her copter and bound up to them as well. Chase still coughed and choked, his lungs begging for air, as his breaths finally began to slow._

_"*cough* what- happened?" The German Shepard asked hoarsely._

_"You fell into the Bay." Ryder explained. "But Zuma rescued you from drowning."_

_"Really?" Chase gasped, looking at the Chocolate Lab in amazement._

_"Aww, it was nothing, dude." The pup replied, waving a paw at him bashfully. "I'm just glad you'wre alwright."_

_"I might not be, if it wasn't for you." Chase returned gratefully. Chase sat upright again as the other pups gathered round._

_"I've gotta apologize for yelling at you earlier, Zuma." Chase sighed. "I'm not actually mad at you. It's just-... I guess I was a bit jealous of how you went about connecting with the rest of the team. And since you can go where I can't, I felt like you were running off with Ryder a lot too. I guess I was afraid that you'd take over the place."_

_"What?! No way, dude!!" Zuma cried scooching closer to Chase. "I would nevewr twry to do that to you. The othewr pups have told me all about how you do things. And I wouldn't wanna take that away fwrom you!!"_

_"Really?" Chase asked, lifting his eyes to meet Zuma's._

_"Suwre!" The Chocolate Lab confirmed, with a paw up to the German Shepard's shoulder._

_"Well, I'm sorry I was kinda mean to you before." Chase apologized._

_"I'm sowrry too." Zuma admitted. "Guess I should've let you know that soonewr."_

_"Glad to hear that you're both beginning to connect." Ryder smiled._

_"So what happened, Chase?" Skye asked, calling attention to his earlier need of rescue._

_"Well... I.." Chase trailed off, unsure of how to explain._

_"Um, maybe we should talk about this latewr." Zuma interrupted. "I think you'wre bleeding." Chase looked down to discover that he was, in fact, correct; lifting a paw to expose a slender cut from the right side of his lower chest extending up toward his left shoulder._

_XXXX_

_"So what do you think of Zuma now?" Marshall asked, tending to Chase's wound. He'd had the pup brought back to the Lookout, where he laid him on his back so he could access the wound better. Dipping the cloth into the bowl of water again, he began to soak up the blood still coming from it, in an attempt to stop it from bleeding more._

_"He's actually not too bad." Chase admitted thoughtfully. "I guess we both had things we should have done for us to really get along. We should have tried to talk to each other, then this wouldn't have happened."_

_"Well it worked, didn't it?" Marshall pointed out, dabbing the cloth around his paw onto the wound. Chase flinched at the sting and shifted himself upwards._

_"-I guess-.. but we still could've handled it better." The police pup replied simply. "But at least, now, we're becoming friends."_

_"Yeah, that's good." Marshall smiled, finally getting the bleeding to stop._

_"Nice work, Marshall." Ryder commented proudly. "You know?.. you'd make a pretty good EMT pup, someday."_

_"Really? You think so?" Marshall asked, a bit surprised to say the least._

_"I know so." Ryder grinned winking at the pup. "Alright Chase; let's bandage you up now."_

_"Ok." Chase agreed, sitting up on his paws again; as Ryder pressed a piece of gauze to his wound._

_Once they had finished Chase had been wrapped up around his upper mid-section and over his left shoulder to hold the gauze into place._

_"There, that should do it." Ryder said finally, securing the end of it into place._

_"How you feelin', dude?" Zuma asked, as the other pups approached._

_"Ok, I guess." Chase replied. "At least the sting isn't so bad now."_

_"That's good to heawr." The Lab smiled, extending a paw out to him. Chase high-fived the pup and smiled._

_"Thanks for giving me another chance." Chase told his new friend._

_"Thanks fowr giving **me** one." Zuma shot back with a grin. The two pups embraced and the memory began to fade away once more..._

"Zuma turned out to be a great pup, and a great friend. I'm glad I didn't stay jealous of him." Chase said, fondly recalling that day. "I would've missed out on a lot of things with him."

"Aww, thanks, dude!" Zuma gushed, pulling his friend in for a neck hug.

"I really should be thanking _you_." Chase replied, simply. "You saved me from drowning that day."

"Yeah, but that's what friends do." The sea pup reminded him, elbowing him playfully.

"Oh..well..I guess you're right." Chase deadpanned. An eruption of laughter rose up, as they enjoyed the bubbly nature of his statement.

"It wasn't too much longer when we found Rubble and _he_ joined the team." Ryder recalled.

"Yeah, we found him in a tree of all places." Chase smirked, igniting another light chuckle amongst the group.

"But at least we got him out of their safely." Ryder pointed out. "And he turned out to be a great addition to the team. I remember one of his first missions as a member of the PAW Patrol..."

_"Everyone stay clear!" Chase declared over is megaphone, walking forward towards the crowd. Rubble backed in between Chase's cones, which had been set up just for him._

_"Ok, easy does it Rubble." Ryder cautioned. "Once you get the flagpole back into place, Skye can rescue the maintenance man from Town Hall's roof."_

_"You got it, Ryder!" The bulldog pup replied, backing up just a little more._

_"Almost there, Rubble!" Chase called._

_"Arf! Crane!" The yellow construction pup barked; and on his command the crane lifted up. The pole creaked a little, moving ever so slightly; the maintenance man withdrew in fear, while still hanging onto the roof for dear life. The creaking got increasingly louder, as did the movement become more noticeable._

_"Rubble!! Look out!!" Skye shouted. "It's falling!!" The pole began its descent, and the bulldog gasped; hitting a button quickly. Catching the pole just shy of the ground, he lifted it back up to the roof and placed it in its proper place. Everyone released a sigh of relief._

_"All yours Rocky." Rubble called, thankfully._

_"Green means go!" The mixed breed responded happily, beginning to climb up Marshall's ladder. Reaching the top, he flipped the metal brace into place at the base of the pole. "Ruff! Welder!" And the tool retracted out in response to the pup's command._

_"And while you do that.." Skye said, hovering her copter closer. "Ruff! Harness!"_

_"Oh thank you soo much PAW Patrol! You saved the day once again!!" The Mayor gushed proudly, marveling at their work._

_"Yeah, thanks so much Ryder, and pups." The maintenance man smiled._

_"Glad to help, everyone." Ryder beamed. "Whenever you're in trouble.."_

_"Just yelp for help!" The pups finished with him. The crowd cheered and waved goodbye, as the PAW Patrol returned to their vehicles to head home again..._

"That was a way cool rescue!" Zuma gushed, giving an excited hop on his pillow.

"Yeah! I remember that rescue." Rubble agreed. "That was one of my first missions I ever went on, as a PAW Patrol pup."

"And we sure were glad you were there that day, Rubble." Chase smiled. "Otherwise that rescue probably would have been a lot worse than it was."

"But one thing's for sure.." Ryder said finally. "You're all such good pups." The pups all smiled and wagged their tails proudly. It warmed their hearts every time Ryder said that, and remained so even after hearing it so many times before.

_XXXX_

The tip of a thermometer eased itself under Chase's tongue, the pup now able to sit up straight like he used to.

"Looks normal." Katie said, when Marshall took it out to show her. She placed a hand to his forehead briefly, then picked up his right front leg to examine it; then set it down to study the other. "Not seeing any infections from the needle sticks." She said. The girl then walked around the table, put her stethoscope on and listened to his back, and then his chest.

"Your cough has all but gone, and your lungs sound much better." Katie told him, while draping the instrument around her neck. "I think you're finally better, Chase." The pups howled triumphantly; relieved to finally hear this news. "Now to give you the vaccination.." Katie continued. "..so you won't get it again."

"We're sorry you got sick in the first place, Chase." Marshall sighed, stepping forward.

"It's ok." Chase smiled slightly. "Having the flu was awful... but I'm ok now."

"And we're glad for that." Skye said, as she and the pups hopped in onto the table next to him. She stood up in her back paws to hug him, and the other pups soon joined in; sharing a warm embrace.

**One more chapter remaining!! Thank you all sooo much for reading this fic. And I'm sooo glad you all enjoyed it!! Can't wait to see what you think of the last chapter next week! ;)**

**And as I said in one of my other stories. I have a sequel to my fic Chase, The... Pilot?! that will hopefully be starting up soon. It's called After The Storm for those who are interested; so just keep an eye out. Following me as an author can help you know when it comes out, just if you want to! Anyway though, enjoy this chapter! And I'll see you guys next week for the final chapter! Thx!!! ;D**


	18. Crisis Averted!

Chapter eighteen: Crisis Averted!

"At least we were able to stop him from getting pneumonia." Katie remarked thankfully. "Or he would've been sick a _LOT _longer, and it could've been a whole lot worse."

"Yeah! Soo glad we caught it in time!!" Marshall agreed happily. Katie then shifted Chase to the side, toward the edge of the table; so she could access the scruff of his neck.

"Ok, hold still now, Chase." She said gently. "You'll feel just a little pinch, and then it'll be all over." Chase drew in a small breath in preparation, and when the needle went in he tensed; unable to stop a constricted grunt from forcing its way out of him.

"Done." Katie finished, pulling the needle out and setting it down in the table next to him. Chase shook, throwing himself a little off balance and he stepped a paw out to catch himself. Katie quickly placed a hand to his back and encouraged him to lay down, keeping her hand on him as he set his head on his paws.

"He'll be a little woozy for a few minutes, but otherwise he'll be fine." She said, looking to Ryder. "Be sure to run him around a little today, to get the vaccination fully circulated throughout his body. And if he begins to experience any strange symptoms like persist dizziness, light-headedness, nausea or vomiting; just bring him in as quickly as you can."

"You got it. Thanks, Katie." Ryder beamed, placing a hand on Chase's head. After a short while, Chase walked his paws up to a sitting position and shook his head.

"Feeling better, Chase?" Katie asked tenderly.

"Yeah, I think so." He hopped down, feeling a bit unstable for a brief moment; which finally subsided a moment later. "I'm good." He said finally, looking up at them; his eyes brightening up again.

"Good." Ryder beamed. "Ready to go home now?"

"Yeah." Chase nodded.

"Ok then." The boy smiled, as it was all he could do at the moment. "Let's get going pups." He said finally gesturing toward the door. With that the pups filed out the door toward their vehicles; leaving him and Katie in the room alone. The two kids watched them go, before Ryder turned to meet her gaze with a satisfied grin.

"Thanks so much for helping out with Chase while he was sick." Ryder said.

"No problem." The girl smiled, putting a hand up to him graciously. "Always happy to help. I was as worried about him as you were, for a while there." Ryder heaved a heavily-weighted sigh of relief; as though getting rid of any nagging doubts left behind. The strings of concern and worry snapping like twigs and dropping away from him. He finally felt like he could breath again.

"Just.. remember that this wasn't your fault." Katie reminded him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Chase is a tough pup, but you can't protect him, or _any_ of the pups, from everything... You just have to be ready to handle it in the best way you can."

"I know." Ryder nodded lightly. Katie pulled him in for a comforting hug; which succeeded immensely, filling the boy's heart to overflowing of reassurance. When they broke apart again, they smiled at one another and Ryder headed out to join his pups.

_XXXX_

"Go long!!" Zuma called to Ryder from the other side of the yard.

"Yeah! Throw it far!!" Chase cried, with the Chocolate Lab by his side.

"Ok, here it goes! Huah!" The boy threw the frisbee as hard as he possibly could. And the two pups ran, howling and barking, after it. Chase ended up catching it; but no sooner had he caught it in mid-air, did he get accidentally tackled by Zuma leaping up after the toy as well. The Chocolate Lab and German Shepard landed in a mangled heap, with Chase still holding the frisbee tightly in his mouth. The two giggled as they untangled themselves and Chase brought the frisbee back to Ryder; panting a bit heavily, as he set the toy down and sitting in front of the boy.

"You still feeling ok, Chase?" Ryder asked calmly, kneeling down to his pup for a better look.

"-Yeah." The pup breathed, still catching his breath. "-I think so."

"Maybe you should take a break, Chase." Marshall advised, showing his EMT side once again. "You've been at this for hours. Come have a drink of water." Chase obeyed and willingly took a drink without further objections. Chase took as seat next to the Dalmatian, as Ryder headed off to continuing playing with Zuma. Chase's breaths, by now, had calmed substantially as he watched them play.

"I'm really glad you're feeling better again." Marshall spoke up finally, breaking the silence between them. "We've all kinda missed you on our missions."

"Yeah,.. me too." Chase sighed.

"Really?" Marshall asked, looking over at his friend in surprise.

"Well sure." Chase replied, shrugging. "I mean, I know I wasn't the _only_ one suffering.." Chase trailed off this statement, while looking the Dalmatian in the eyes.

"You mean you-" Chase just nodded. "Woah..." Marshall breathed in amazement. "You sure you don't read minds?" He questioned after a moment, shooting his friend a humorously sarcastic look. The two pups giggled together, as Chase nudged him playfully.

"I have ways." The pup replied amusingly. "I am a police pup and super spy, you know." Marshall rolled his eyes humorously, knowing how much fun Chase had with both those jobs; and how good he was at them. "I know it killed you to see me like that." Chase went on slowly. "I know it probably wasn't easy to watch. And I'm sorry for scaring you guys."

"No, no, no, Chase. Don't you _ever_ apologize!" Marshall cried, scooching over to his best friend to wrap his paw around him. "Getting sick wasn't your fault, _or_ your plan. And it hit you kinda hard. I can't imagine how hard it was to endure. I can only imagine the pain you had to deal with. I mean.. you never cry in front of us! And at some points your were a total train wreck!" Chase cocked his head the side, lowering it a bit; embarrassment showing across his face.

"Yeah." He sighed simply. "But I have to admit I did panic a little when I wasn't getting any better that night."

"When we found you bawling your eyes out, begging for it to stop?" Marshall deadpanned. Chase nudged him again, at the slight grin on the Dalmatian's face.

"Yeah." He said, trying to keep from smiling slightly himself. "I can't imagine having it again. Ugh." Chase shuttered at the thought, shivers running up and down his spine; almost able to feel the pain in his entire body once more, but only for a brief moment.

"Don't worry, Chase." Marshall encouraged, squeezing his friend tightly. "We're gonna try and make sure that _that_ doesn't happen again." Chase leaned his head in, to press it against Marshall's cheek lovingly; feeling nothing but love for his best friend.

"So Chase, What do you think was the worst part of being sick?" Rocky asked, curiously, as he and the other pups wandered over to them.

"I don't know." Chase admitted. "It was all pretty terrible. Feeling cold and hot at the same time, the headaches, the muscle pain, the cough, and upset stomach. All of it."

"Well hopefully that won't happen again." Rubble stated optimistically.

"Let's hope, Rubble." The police pup replied positively.

"And thank goodness you didn't get numonia." Skye said, attempting to repeat the name of the condition he _almost_ got.

"It's pneumonia.." Marshall corrected tenderly. "And yeah." Just the same, Skye came up to jump at him in a hug; as the other pups joined her once more, for another adorable group hug. Ryder smiled, and took out his pup-pad to snap a quick photo of this beautiful moment; one he wanted to remember for years to come.

"And I'm glad you're finally feeling better too, Chase." The boy said, kneeling down to one knee; and gesturing for him to come to him with his arms outstretched. Chase willingly came to him and stood up on his back paws to hug Ryder; resting his chin on the boy's shoulder.

"Thank you for being there for me, Ryder." Chase whispered into his ear.

"Anytime, Chase." The boy relied, as they broke apart again. Chase snuggled under his chin, laying his ears back to do so, as he laid his cheek on Ryder's chest lovingly. The PAW Patrol leader reached his hand around Chase's neck, to scratch the side that was facing the pups; the pup wagging his tail pleasurefully in doing so.

"Well, it's getting late." Ryder said after a while. "We should all go get some sleep." The pups nodded and scattered to head to their pup house's. "Chase, where are you going?" Ryder asked, turning around to see the pup heading for the Lookout. The German Shepard stopped and turned around with a smile.

"I think we should all go sleep on the pup beds in the Lookout to celebrate." The pup said. The other pups looked from one another and smiled, then glanced up at Ryder. The boy also had to think for a moment before adopting a smile of his own.

"Okay." He shrugged simply. "I guess that sounds like fun." The pups howling jubilantly as they all ran for the Lookout; with Ryder laughing all the way as he followed. The sun winked one last time, as it sunk into the horizon the sky turning all shades of vibrant colors while daylight faded. It was as though the whole world was celebrating with them, the victory was won... and they couldn't be happier as they all settled down for sleep... _together_.

~More Than A Cold~

**There's the last chapter! Hope you have enjoyed it and thank you soo much for those that did!! Can't wait to get started on more PP stories(which, in fact, I have;)). This story in particular was extremely fun to write!! And I can't wait to write more!! Thx!!!**


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